Year of the Past
by Nikki Winters
Summary: Running from the past, Katherine is dragged into Avenger business because of what she is and what she knows. Only a woman untouched by time can help the man out of time as the Avengers face a Chitauri-vampire alliance looking to subjugate humankind again.
1. Prologue

**A/n: **So here's my attempt of a semi Vampire Diaries –crossover-Avengers story. Takes place in movie verse of the Avengers and before season 2 of Vampire Diaries. I am gonna say it upfront. Katherine Pierce will only be the VD character in this story because I do love her so much. Enjoy!

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**Prologue **

_1943, New York_

Despite the overcast hanging over the city skylines and grim grey mood of the situation in general, a result of the war, the bar was still swinging. The cheery beats from the local band kept its patrons in the mood as they downed their worries and sorrows away. Drunken laughter filled the tavern as men and women mingled, forgetting in that moment a war brewed between nations or that their loved ones could be lost in the battlefield.

That was what amused her most about these people, humans. Their ability to cope and adapt because their survival as a race demanded it. It was a trait of theirs that has not changed in over thousands of years.

That much she knew because like them, she too has adapted to fit in and to survive.

A catcall announced her arrival as she strolled into the local tavern, a place called the Stork club, pausing briefly as her gaze drifted over the stage where several dancers held the attention of a group of rowdy men. She could sense the curious and leeches eyes observing her as she strode toward the bar. Even the bartender looked up to study this newcomer.

She knew what they saw. An unescorted young dark-haired woman in a tight maroon dress and a simple clutch purse cradled in gloved hands. Around her neck, a cameo necklace rested against her collarbone. Everything about her spoke of class and elegance and most would assume she was an adventurous young lady.

A television behind the bar was playing a repeated film of the nation's recently fallen hero, a man who vanished a week ago in battle. She has seen it too many times over the past seven days for her liking, having memorised every detail of it including the honoured man's masked features and glorified name. Yet they never once revealed his given name. A pity.

"What will it be, ma'am?" the bartender asked.

"Scotch, on the rocks." she said before turning her attention to the only other woman in the bar without a companion, sitting on the stool beside her.

The woman was very beautiful and looked as though she was here on a date if it wasn't for her red-shot eyes that held so much pain in them that could not be drowned away by the many shot glasses in front of her.

"Seat taken?" she asked.

The woman glanced at her in surprise, probably by the fact that someone spoke to her. When she answered, the accent was distinctively British further inquiring her curiosity. "No. Please, by all means."

"You here alone?" she asked as her drink was served.

The woman gave her a tight smile, her sadness evident. "I am supposed to be here on a date but…"

Yes, definitely British.

"He stood you up?"

"Not exactly." the British female said quietly. "He went missing in action a week ago. We made a date before he did, to meet here, today at eight o'clock… I was supposed to teach him how to dance."

When she chuckled to herself, there was an underlining core of despair as though she knew that the man she was waiting for wasn't going to come. And yet this woman still waited.

Humans were interesting and it has been so long since she had someone to talk it. It seemed that this woman would have to do to fill her boredom while she was in New York momentarily.

"What's your name?" she asked, signalling the bartender for more refills.

"Peggy Carter. And you are?"

She smiled, offering her perfectly trimmed hand as opposed to Peggy's war-battered one. "Katherine."

Despite the numerous men hitting on them throughout the night, they felt no inclination to leave and just continued to talk endlessly into the night. Or rather Peggy did, mumbling how naïve this man was to women and yet at the same that was what endeared him to her. Katherine suspected it was mostly the alcohol talking.

Then at midnight, several men came for her and she left, disappearing from the place as silently as she had come. She had no idea what became of Peggy after nor did she care much although she did request the bartender look out for her just in case. The men seeking her out was lost to the forming dancing crowd before they even realised she was there.

But either way, it looked as though her visit to New York was over. Time to disappear again. Time to move on and keep running until the ends of the earth.

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**Read and review please!**


	2. Chapter 1

**A/n: **I forgot that Vampire Diaries - Avengers crossovers has a very niche audience. Ah, well. I am still going to post it up anyway since the story is just sitting in my laptop. Thanks though to those who have this story on your alerts or favourites. I hope it'll draw you in enough to leave a review soon.

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**Chapter 1 **

_Present, New York._

Stepping out of the cab, she breathed in deep, allowing the crisp cool air of the city to fill her lungs before exhaling in a sigh. The sights and sounds of the greatest city on earth had never ceased to amaze her and that says a lot for one who has seen plenty.

The last time she was here had been decades ago, 70 years to be precise and anyone in the old era were to see her now, they would say one thing.

She hasn't aged a day.

Katherine still had the appearance of a youthful young woman in her 20s and along with time, she had adapted once more to blend into society's status quo. Gone were her tight curls and ruby red lips that were the beauty trend for the ladies of the 40s. Her hair was now long and in loose curls that framed her oval features. She had traded in her dress for a purple top, a jacket and a pair of jeans that hugged every curve of her slender body. A pair of high-heeled ankle boots completed the modern day look. The only thing that remained unchanged was the blue necklace that hung around her neck.

Watching as the cab pulled away from the curb and drove off, she then made her way into the front lobby of the Plaza Hotel. She noticed that the side of the building was still smashed in as though something decided to take a swipe at it for kicks.

She knew what had happened here only a few months ago. The whole world did.

After all, every high tech satellite in the world had broadcasted the massive battle that nearly tore Manhattan apart. Many theories had come about on what had occurred that day when a white blue light that opened up the sky. Some people claimed it was a terrorist attack although no known group has stepped forward to claim responsibility. Others cited an alien invasion due to the inhuman features of the invaders.

However the group that had defended the city and warded off the attack captured even more speculation from the media. All anyone knew was that they called themselves the Avengers and that they vanished as suddenly as they had appeared. Rumour has it that one of them was a war hero, a man from World War II. She also heard tales of a big green lumbering beast and a tall man in a red cap that could summon lightning with his hammer. And of course to round up the team was New York's own Iron Man.

Perhaps it was that mystery that drew her back to New York.

The hotel staffs were quick to check her into the presidential suite at her request although there was a minor argument that a certain Tony Stark had pre-booked the room in advance. A few quiet words on her part quickly settled the matter and she soon found herself alone in the most expensive and biggest suites in the city.

Katherine quickly found the complementary liquor and pouring herself a drink, she strolled through the massive space, thankfully and miraculously undestroyed by the battle and stared out of the wall window at the Manhattan skyline.

Ahead, she could see a building with a very big 'A' on it and recalled vaguely that it belonged to aforementioned Stark. Why he required a room at the Plaza escaped her but it didn't surprise her. The rich people always were more eccentric. Why else would a billionaire been flying around in an iron suit battling aliens?

Now that was a statement she never thought would cross her mind. Never in her hundreds of years travelling. That only showed how much the world has changed since World War II.

Someone knocked on her door then. "Miss Thorne, room service."

Remembering she had requested food to be sent personally to the suite earlier, Katherine opened the door and allowed the waiter to enter with a trolley filled with food. The young man seemed taken back that the only occupant in the room was a beautiful young woman who smiled sweetly at him in thanks.

"Just put it over there." she said, shutting and locking the door behind her.

He did as told and removed the food covers to reveal an array of dishes. "You must be starving, miss." he exclaimed, unaware that she drew closer behind him.

She smiled as she felt her incisors lengthening. "Famished."

He turned and his scream never left his mouth as she clamped a surprisingly strong hand over it, forced his head back and sank her fangs into his throat. His body jerked and twitched as his blood and life were rapidly drained from him until his eyes glazed over and his heartbeat slowed and eventually stopped.

Careful to not spill a drop on the fine Persian carpeting, Katherine pulled back from the ravaged throat, licking her lips daintily and released the body, allowing it to slump to the ground like a broken marionette. She sighed in contentment as the warm blood filled and heated her. A stray drop escaped her lips and trailed down her chin. Carefully she lifted it and licked it off her finger as she turned back to the window.

Yes, this time, she could definitely see herself staying a while in the city.

~.~

In the state the city was in, in the midst of rebuilding and recovering from their battle months ago, it almost felt…painfully familiar. It felt like the aftermath of a warzone, once the fighting had passed and it was the recovery period before the next attack. Not that he wished war on these people. He hoped they would never have to experience the pain of losing their loved ones and watching their country ravaged by the flames of war as he had.

Those caught in the middle of the fight between Loki and the Avengers would remember the terror and fear of being helpless though. And those who had lost their lives…

"But New York will prevail." Director Fury had said. "Its people will always prevail. As long as they have heroes to look up to,"

Heroes.

Tony Stark had basked at the term. Steve Rogers had scoffed. They called him a war hero, a living legend but all he knew was that he was just a soldier out of his time, shoved into a world, an era he knew little of. Director Fury had promised him to help get back into society but he doubt it would be anytime soon.

The world was filled with gadgets and something called the Internet. It seemed to link everyone together regardless of location, space and time. Tony seemed to rely heavily on it like a child to candy. But he failed to see the appeal.

Or maybe it was because he could not see it at all. Bruce Banner had tried to explain that it was all around them in the fibre optic wires that ran through the city, connected by the unseen signals transmitted through space satellites. Steve was lost at the words 'fibre optic.'

70 years have passed since he went down with the aircraft and so much has changed in the world. But it was the thought that everyone he knew, his friends and family…Peggy were either dead or on their way there that hit him the hardest. They would have lived out the life he missed out on, experienced the changes in the world as they came. Peggy would have married, have children and grandchildren. They would have adapted with time.

While he remained a 1940s man thrust into the future. An old soul in the new world. Alone.

To put it in Tony's words, it sucked.

"More coffee?"

A woman's voice ajared him from his thoughts and he looked up at the blond haired waitress who held a pot over his cup. He felt as though he had seen her somewhere before.

"Um, no. Thank you." he mumbled, feeling for his wallet. "How much do I owe you?"

She gave him a nervous but kind smile. "It's on the house." she said. "After all, you did save my life, Captain."

He stared at her and finally remembered her face vaguely from the bank that was under attack during the Chitauri invasion. She had been there and had seen his face when his mask was yanked off.

"Consider this my way of saying thanks." she continued shyly. "Maybe next time, breakfast on me perhaps?"

He stood and smiled in return. "Maybe. Thank you, ma'am."

She bobbed her head in delight and excused herself as another customer called her over. An elderly man in the neighbouring table at the face glanced at Steve with a look of annoyance.

"Ask for her number, genius. She's into you." he said gruffly.

Steve felt his cheeks grow warm and he quickly left the café, making his way towards Stark Towers. He could almost hear Peggy's voice in his head.

_You still don't know a single thing about women. _

And it seemed that wasn't going to change anytime soon. In the 1940s, he was only beginning to grasp the concept of women being interested in him after becoming Captain America although then he had no intention of knowing any other female other than Peggy.

Then in a blink of an eye, 70 years had disappeared and he had to start all over again. And women in this modern age were much harder to read. Sometimes he wasn't even sure if some were even women to begin with. It was so hard and he was just too mentally exhausted to think about.

Besides, the only women he currently knew now were Natasha Romanoff and Maria Hill. Both very intimidating and strong-willed by their own rights. There was also Tony's girlfriend, Pepper Potts whom he only met a few times but found her quite pleasant. It also amused him to no end that she was the only one who could control the eccentric billionaire to some degree.

"Good evening, Mister Rogers. How may I be of assistance to you today?"

The artificial computer voice with a British accent startled him from his thoughts and he realised he had arrived at Stark Towers while lost in thought. No matter how many times he came to Tony's 'humble' abode as he called it, he doubted he would get used to a speaking building. Much less one that was capable to independent thought and processing.

"Is Tony in?" he asked.

"Mister Stark is out on a business meeting in Malibu, sir. But you're most welcome to join Miss Potts in their apartment." JARVIS replied. "Docter Banner is with her."

"Thank you, JARVIS."

The elevator was quick and smooth and the doors opened up to the massive penthouse apartment that had, a few months ago, been the centre stage of their battle. Tony's renovations had erased all evidence of the Hulk smashing the demi-god into the floor and had re-established the place once more as the home of the richest man in the world.

In short, he spared no expanses to the repairs and had in fact increased the capacity to suit the constant comings and goings of the Avengers team.

"Steve, how nice to see you!" the strawberry blonde haired woman greeted from the table counter. "Would you like a drink?"

"No but thank you." he said politely, strolling into the living room where Bruce was seated on the couch, his attention on the screens that appeared at will in front of him. His hands moved rapidly, tapping here and there as his brilliant mind worked.

"Docter Banner." Steve greeted.

"Hey, Cap." the scientist replied without looking up.

Steve looked around, noticing that only half the team was here. Pepper must have read his thoughts as she beckoned for him to join her at the table.

"Tony was summoned by Fury for some consultation issue." she said.

A frown appeared on his face. "But JARVIS said -,"

"Tony told him to lie to you." she said. "He didn't want you to worry and there really is nothing to worry about. It's just some minor issues with Tony's clean energy concept. Something about harnessing solar power at a larger scale."

Still, he didn't like that Tony always seemed to keep him out of the loop or felt the need to lie to him. He wasn't a child who needed to be protected from a world he didn't understand. Steve was at least grateful he could rely on Tony's better half to be otherwise.

"It's just us here. So make yourself at home." Pepper went on.

Overall, it seemed that it was going to be a quiet and fairly relaxing day.

~.~

"This mission is classified as highly dangerous. The target is female, appears to be in her mid-twenties and has suspected of being involved in over a hundred murders in the past twenty years. Yes, Tony?" Fury's one single eye glared at Tony as he raised his hand in the mock imitation of a rebellious school boy.

"Question. Actually two questions." Tony quipped, well aware of the annoyed glares Natasha and Clint were giving him for interrupting their briefing session. "Don't you mean past _ten _years, not twenty since the target is, well, in her mid-twenties. And secondly, why I am here if this is an assassination mission?"

Fury looked as though he wanted to massage his temples but refused to give in to the other man. "If you would just shut up, I'll tell you."

"Okay, okay." Tony held up his hands in mock surrender. "The floor is yours, Cyclops."

Clint bit back a snicker while Natasha rolled her eyes, praying fervently Tony wasn't actively involved in the mission.

"Now, as I was saying before I was interrupted. The target is a woman in her mid-twenties. That is not a mistake, Mister Stark. Last I check, she goes by name of Katherine Pierce and has several aliases. She is incredibly dangerous." To emphasize his point, a video appeared on the screen behind Fury. The time stamp in the corner of the video indicated it was taken three years ago in Russia.

A young woman sat in the middle of an empty room, her posture relaxed and calm as a Russian guard circled her, questioning her. The camera zoomed in closer on the woman's face and Natasha stiffened. Her eyes widening, she leaned in as two more men filled the screen, surrounding the woman. One of them held a gun to her head but she barely reacted, her lips moving as they curled into a sneer.

A shot was fired but the target wasn't no longer there. The woman had moved impossibly fast, dropping to her knees and kicking the metal chair into the knees of the gunman. He went down fast, screaming as his kneecaps broke from the impact. His comrades moved simultaneously but they were too slow before the woman was on them, snapping their necks with ease. Barely glancing at their dead bodies, she calmly removed their guns and with one shot, placed the third man out of his misery.

"Whoa." Tony muttered clearly impressed. "Is she on some drug or something? Because that was….wow."

Fury was looking at the female assassin, watching her expression. "Agent Romanoff, is there something you would like to share with us?"

"It's not possible." Natasha whispered before looking at the director. "I know her, back when I was…bad. It was ten years ago. I was on a mission in Bora Bora and she was there. We fought and…"

She stopped as though the next words were difficult to say.

"Natasha?" Clint asked, reaching out to her in support. He shared at lot with his fellow agent but never did she mention Bora Bora. "What happened?"

"She was almost killed." Fury finished, having seen the mission files. "The mission was declared a success with the intended target eliminated but it took an entire team of highly trained CIA agents to subdue this woman. She was thought to be gunned down but her body was nowhere to be found after that."

"Whoa…" Tony said again. "Can someone say, cree-py?"

"She's not a ghost if that's where you're getting at." Fury said, aware of where Tony's mind could be headed. "She's quite the opposite in fact. SHIELD has been tracking her whereabouts for years now. The only breadcrumbs we have of her movements are the bodies she leaves behind. We have never been able to visually identify her. Until now."

"You found her?" Natasha asked.

"Getting off a plane from Japan right here in New York. She just checked into the presidential suite of the Plaza Hotel under the alias of Kathryn Thorne." A press of a button showed the woman entering the hotel with only a shoulder bag. Further enhancement of her picture had Tony and Clint cursing under the breaths.

"Holy crap, she hasn't changed a bit!" Tony remarked. Then it sunk in. "Wait, what? The presidential suite of the Plaza? I thought I told the manager I called eternal dibs on that place!"

They ignored him as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. Clint voiced out their speculations. "So she doesn't grow old, can't die. Moves faster than the Cap himself and can quite possibly be as strong as him. That doesn't exactly tell us much about what she could be. A demi-god like Thor, another super-soldier?"

"A zombie?" Tony offered helpfully.

Fury paused, his hand on the remote button. These men and woman were remarkable people who have seen and done things that weren't exactly normal but he felt now would be the right time to throw them into the deep end of the pool and into another world that has existed alongside theirs for thousands of years. "One thing I have yet to show you is the state of the bodies in which they were found."

Click.

Natasha cursed in Russian.

The montages of bodies were many and they all held one thing in common. Two twin marks that punctured either their throats or wrists. Tony even looked a bit queasy from the sight of mangled throats and bodies drained of blood.

"Oh, boy."

"Boys and girls." Fury said dramatically and for some reason Tony felt that the director was actually enjoying this moment. Bastard. "There is a very high possibility that your next target is a vampire."

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**Read and Review!** (please?)


	3. Chapter 2

**A/n: **Wow-whee! Thank you to all my reviewers. I am glad you guys are liking this story and my portrayal of Katherine so far. I had to watch and rewatch episodes of Vampire Diaries to get her mannerisms down. Klaus (as much as I love him) won't be appearing in this story but he does play a significant role in Katherine's choices.

To my reviewers: Raychaell Dionzeros, MME, Mehan-Smith, TheElegantFaerie, SophStratt and himedesu.

The moment you all have been waiting for.

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**Chapter 2**

Katherine stared up at the building, her nose wrinkling in displeasure. She may admire humans for their resilience and adaptability but not for their need to keep constantly changing everything that she had enjoyed about the city.

"Unbelievable." she grumbled, looking up at the old broken down and abandoned lot of the very bar she had visited the last time she was in New York. Ironically, this building had remained untouched during the Avenger's fight. "Well, let's see what's left behind."

She reached out to grasp the lock that held the doors closed and stopped. The lock was already broken from its hinges. She guessed the neighbourhood kids must have gotten bored over the years.

She opened the door and strolled in, suddenly feeling as though she was transported back in time. Only this time there was no music, no men staring at her, no dancing women on the stage and no bartender behind the bar. But the interior was more or less the same although having worn down with time and lack of care. She trailed a finger along the table, lifting dust and rubbing it off.

Her sensitive nose wrinkled again as she made her way to the bar, resting a hand on the stool, remembering the last time she was here.

Someone cleared his throat and she spun, her eyes narrowed dangerously. It wasn't often someone managed to sneak up on her without her knowing.

A man stood at another door that probably led further into the establishment. He seemed just as surprised to see her here as she did him. His blue eyes warily watched her as she studied him curiously. He was handsome, tall, broad-shouldered and more muscular than the average man. His short blonde hair was tousled and styled in a manner that reminded her of the olden days. He wore a brown leather bike jacket over a simple shirt, jeans and boots. Overall, she decided she liked what she saw.

"Sorry." he said quietly. "I didn't mean to startle you, ma'am. It's just that… I wasn't expecting to find anyone else in here."

Katherine cocked an eyebrow at his old school politeness as she nodded slowly. "I should say the same for you. And you are?"

He seemed startled by her forwardness. "Rogers. Steve Rogers, ma'am."

"Ma'am?" she made a face. "Stop calling me that. I don't look that old."

He flushed lightly. "My apologies, um…"

"Katherine." she supplied, finding amusement in his awkwardness.

"Katherine." he repeated. "If I may ask, what is a young lady like you doing here alone? This isn't exactly the better part of New York. It's not safe."

She raised an eyebrow, having detected concern in his voice. "I am scouting for locations actually. For a business venture." she lied. She was good with spinning stories on the spot. "This lot seems like my best bet so far."

"What sort of business venture?" Steve asked, his curiosity piqued. Usually the women were not so forward with starting their own business in his era. He hoped she would at least sustain the original interior design for memory sake.

"A bar." Katherine answered on whim, looking around again. The concept was starting to grow on her, the more she thought of it. "This place was a club in the 1940s." she said. "Called the Stork club. I quite liked the idea of a 1940s club. Brings back…I don't know, a sense of nostalgia."

Steve couldn't agree more but her knowledge and intuition with the past was intriguing, considering how young she was. "I see you did your homework."

She opened her mouth to retort and stopped herself. "Right. Homework." she bobbed her head, gripping the handle of her bag. "History is sort of my speciality." _Because I was there. _"Wait. Why am I doing all the talking? Why are you here?"

"Um…I was just in the neighbourhood." he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I…um, my family has history here."

Katherine studied the man, noticing how his eyes seemed unable to meet her own and his shoulders were hunched slightly. She suspected he was hiding something but then again, who was she to ask.

"Well, I am off." she announced, heading for the door. "It was nice meeting you, Stevie."

"It's Steve and I can't let you walk through this neighbourhood alone. It's not safe." he called after her.

"I'll be fine." she replied dismissively, disappearing through the door. "I am not as helpless as you think."

"Wait!" Steve hurried after her, taken back by her carefree manner. He emerged into the street and found Katherine…gone. Turning his head left and right, he scanned the street, looking for the female but she was nowhere in sight. Defeated, he sighed and tucking his hands into his pockets, started making his way back to his SHIELD assigned apartment.

~.~

After giving Steve the slip and leaving behind the former Stork club, Katherine did a little shopping and managed to grab a bite in the form of a male student who thought he would be getting lucky. She returned to her hotel later that night, nodding her head at the doorman who greeted her.

"Target in sight." Clint reported, tapping his ear piece from his perch on the building opposite the hotel. "Entering mission perimeter. Nat, do you copy?"

There was a slight crackle before an answer came. "I copy. Stark, be on standby. Things could get ugly."

Katherine rode the lift all the way to her floor. She exited it and made her way down the hallway, passing a maid with a trolley along the way. Sensing eyes on her, Katherine allowed her eyes to dart to the Hispanic woman who looked away quickly and muttered a quiet 'Have a good night, miss.'

Senses and instincts that has been honed and tuned by centuries of hunting and preying were now tingling but none of her outer façade revealed such. She kept up her casual pace until she reached her door. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that the maid was observing her every movement as she slid the key card into the lock and pushed open the door.

Darkness greeted her but her eyes merely adjusted accordingly, using the little source of light from the moon spilling through from the window to scan her suite. Her hearings locked onto the sounds of thumping hearts and steady breathings.

"You know." she began calmly, setting down her purchases. "It's rude to enter someone's home uninvited."

"That's rich coming from you and technically, this is my presidential suite." The lights came on automatically and a man rose from the sofa, adjusting his shirt sleeves as he did.

She was curious as to why billionaire Tony Stark was standing in the middle of her hotel room and what he was up to. Also, she could detect someone else in the room but this person was good at masking their location. "Well, I bought you out so technically, it's mine, Mister Stark."

"Ah, you've heard of me. That's good. Shows you're in trend." he said in approval. He looked around the room as though he still owned it. "This place could do with a bit of sprucing up. A bit of colour here and there."

She strolled into the kitchen area and pulled out her stash of liquor, pouring herself a glass. "I would be more than happy to paint it. What do you think about blood red?" she said sarcastically.

"Too hipster." he said with a wave of his hand. "I am sure my friend there would agree."

Katherine continued to sip at her drink despite the gun that was now cocked to her head. Natasha emerged from the shadows, her grip steady while she maintained her distance. She remembered the video in Russia and knew what this woman was capable. Despite her back to her, Katherine grinned.

"Natasha Romanoff, I am surprised you survived this long."

"Katherine Pierce." the other woman said. "I have orders from SHIELD to bring you in for questioning."

Her eyes narrowed. "SHIELD?"

Tony spoke up. "Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and something. I forget but we would like for you to come with us. Peacefully, of course. No fuss, no muss. And I won't have to put on the suit."

"And what makes you think you can take me alive?" she asked, testing the water.

"We know what you're, Miss Pierce." Natasha answered. "And we have taken several precautionary steps beforehand."

_So they know what I am…_, Katherine weighted her options carefully. The predatory side of her nature demanded she fight back and drain these intruders of their blood while her survivor instincts were warning her to keep her wits about her. These humans wouldn't place themselves in the same room as her if they weren't certain they could take her down.

"Well, what will it be?" the woman behind her asked.

Before Katherine could answer, there was a knock on the door and a woman's voice called out from the other side. "Room service. Complimentary wine from the hotel for Miss Thorne."

Natasha cursed under her breath and gestured with her gun. "Aren't you gonna get that?"

Katherine stared hard at the door and muttered back. "I rather not." She picked up the empty liquor bottle and with a flick, threw it in direction of the door.

It hit the carpeted floor with a dull thud just as Natasha hammered back the gun in warning at Katherine. Suddenly the door exploded into splinters and dusts, sending everyone in the room ducking for cover.

Natasha called out to Tony and got an answer that he was fine from behind the sofa. She was well aware of someone kicking down the door and caught the sound of a shotgun being reloaded.

"Friends of yours?" Katherine snapped at her from where she had taken cover behind the kitchen counter.

"I thought they were yours!" Natasha yelled back as another gunshot was fired in their general direction, shattering an undoubtedly expensive flower vase and blasting out the cabinets.

Using the reflection of a broken mirror, Katherine could make out two figures spilling into her apartment. The first one who held the shotgun was advancing on them.

"With friends like that, -"

Another shot drowned out the rest of her sentence but Natasha got her point. Her eyes narrowing on the moving silhouettes in the mirror, Katherine growled as she realised one of their attackers was the maid she had passed earlier.

Natasha shouted at Tony to stay down before she sprung to her feet with her guns at hand and fired them at the two figures. The maid fired another shot at her, forcing her back down and keeping her pinned. Using the opportunity, Katherine grabbed a knife from the kitchen drawer and standing up and pulling back her arm, sent it flying. It hit bull's eye when it sunk into the chest of the maid. As her body collapsed backwards, Katherine dashed around the counter and slammed a solid roundhouse kick to the second assailant's gut. She moved in for a second kick but he caught her boot inches from his side and yanked hard. A cry escaped her as her back met the floor and the man leapt on her, his arm arched back for a punch.

However a rain of bullets halted his attack and he snarled at the assassin who emptied her guns into him to no avail. "Petty humans." he growled. "So this is the company the infamous Katerina keeps these days? Pathetic!"

With her attacker moving in on Natasha, Katherine flipped to her feet and shot out a leg that found his knee joint. A satisfying crack echoed through the room followed by a loud bellow of pain as he stumbled back and away from the dark-haired woman. Without losing her stride, Katherine yanked out the protruding knife from the body on the floor and flipping it in her hand, she slashed out at him but he grabbed her arm and spun her around into a headlock. The edge of the knife came dangerously close to her throat as she resisted, barely holding it at bay.

Then there was the whirling sound of electric being charged and a yellow blast slammed into the attacker, throwing Katherine aside from the impact. Lifting her head from the floor, she stared the spot where the assailant had vanished under a rumble of broken cupboards and lighting fixtures before turning to look at the source of the blast.

The Iron Man mask peeled back to reveal Tony Stark's bemused face as he looked at her and Natasha. Somehow he had managed to get his suit on in the middle of the attack.

"So….," he began. "That was…fun."

"I thought I told you to stay down." Natasha said, her voice lacking its usual control. She was just thankful Tony almost never listens to orders. Her mind kept going back to watching her bullets uselessly sink into that man's body and yet he refused to drop. What the hell was going on?

"You know that's not my style."

The light conversation between them ended when Katherine climbed to her feet, shaking stars from her sight before looking around her trashed hotel suite. "Well, looks like my stay here is over. See you around, kiddies."

"Wait just a minute." Tony's mask snapped back into place as the woman found her bag and made for the door or what was left of it. She turned at the sound of his repulsors being charged up again and pointed at her. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

She smirked, her lip cut and bloodied. "No, I don't. You can have your suite back, Mister Stark."

Her acute hearing caught the sound of a silenced gun being fired and she felt a prick to the back of her neck. Instantly she felt her body weakened, her knees turning to jelly as she gasped from the pain that raced down and through her body. She collapsed at the doorway, darkness rapidly closing in on her. As she drifted off into unconsciousness, she could make out Natasha calling an extraction and cleanup team and Tony making a snide remark.

"If you had just shot her with the vervain in the first place, we could have avoided all of that. Hm. I wonder if Fury wouldn't mind paying the bill for this mess….?"

* * *

**Review pls!**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/n: **Hey, guys. I really must apologise for the delay in updates as I have tons of writing to manage between this, my blog and my thesis. I'll try my best to update more frequently though. Again, I am thankful for each and everyone who reviewed and favourited this story (and myself) especially my reviewers: TheElegantFaerie, himedesu and Glorfindel.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

When she came to, Katherine found herself chained down to a chair in the middle of a white room with only a single door. The first thing she noticed was the camera in the corner and knew that her capturers would be studying her next actions. She tested the chains and found them uncannily strong compared to regular metal. Her head was still thumping from the after effects of the shot and her body still felt weak. As she settled into the chain, she tried to recall what had happened.

_Vervain. They shot her with vervain._

Dark brown eyes looked up as the door opened and a tall imposing man in a black trench coat walked in. As imposing as he seemed, it was the eye-patch that made him seem…inhuman.

"Miss Pierce." he began. "Those chains are made out of adamantium metal, courtesy of Stark Industries and are virtually unbreakable which I believe should suffice in keeping you restrained."

She tried to lift her hand from the armrest and the metal did not budget. Letting out a loud sigh, she looked at the man who seemed pleased. "What do you want?" she gritted out. "Where am I?"

"You're at the SHIELD headquarters. My agents brought you here." he explained. "I am Director Nick Fury."

She seemed to recall Tony Stark mentioning a name of that sort. "And what do you want from me?"

"We know what you are, Miss Pierce." he said, ignoring her question. "SHIELD has been tracking your kind across the world for several years now and I am afraid you have the higher ups on an edge."

"Because you humans refuse to believe the supernatural exist?" she guessed. "I fail to see how that is my problem."

"It is your problem because you're considered a threat to the human race and should be eliminated at once. I am sure the board members would rather have it that way." Fury said pointedly. "But I believe we can work something out."

She tilted her head, curious. "What do you have in mind, Cyclops?"

~.~

Listening through the live camera feed in a different room, everyone heard what Katherine called their boss and Tony had to suppress a snicker.

"A girl after my own heart." he said happily.

"What's Director Fury doing?" Clint wondered.

Natasha remained silent, her eyes on the woman in the screen. She didn't like the fact that Katherine was too relaxed in her bonds or that there was even a vampire in their headquarters to begin with. It was like having Loki onboard their Helicarrier all over again.

Fury was talking again, carefully scrutinizing at their captive. "The purpose of SHIELD is to monitor potential threats to Earth and to protect its nations and its people from all threats, terrestrial or extraterrestrial. Or in your case, the supernatural. However as much as it pains me to admit this, SHIELD is sorely lacking in knowledge of your world. We would like for you to tell us everything you know and in return, SHIELD will offer you protection."

~.~

"And what makes you think I need protection?" Katherine sneered, eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Those two individuals who attacked you and my men at your hotel for one." Fury said. "They seemed to be hunting you and secondly, your constant movements around the global have suggested a fleeing pattern. You seem to venture quite often to war-torn nations. It's easier to hide in the chaos, isn't it? So tell me, Miss Pierce, what or who are you afraid of?"

She fell silent, her nostrils flaring slightly.

"What's the matter now? Is the big bad vampire scared?" he taunted.

"Yes." she hissed, glaring back. "But not of you. And if you knew, you would be afraid too of _him_."

"Then why don't you tell us about _him_ and apart from providing you protection, we will also take care of your problem. After all, evil only fears one other thing and that's greater evil." Fury suggested. "And in case it isn't clear, you are evil."

"Then that makes the two of us." Katherine retorted. "You're not exactly Saint Nicholas, are you, Fury being in this line of work."

"She's got the Fury pegged." Tony muttered in amusement.

"I don't like where this is going." Natasha declared quietly.

"I never did say I was a Saint but then again, I am not the one drugged and chained down to a chair." Fury returned calmly. "So what do you say to my offer?"

"How will I know you won't kill me once this is over?" she asked.

"The same way I know you won't hurt my people or any humans for that matter as long as you're affiliated with SHIELD." Fury answered. "Mutual trust. And also that bracelet."

Frowning, she glanced at her wrist and noticed a thin silver bracelet on it. She had missed it early but now, a sense of dread began to fill her as she studied it.

"That bracelet can administrate 500 volts of electricity. So anytime you try to hurt a human, you'll get a shock enough to incapacitate you momentarily." Fury explained.

"So it's a collar." she glared. "You're putting a collar on me. And in case you forget, I am a vampire. Hurting humans is kind of the job requirement. You know, for blood."

"We are well-aware of your…diet and will take care of that for you as well."

Katherine slumped back in the chair, mauling over her choices. Getting blood wasn't a major issue for she has survived on less before. But can SHIELD really offer the protection she needed in exchange for knowledge?

"Katherine, it's in your best interest that you take the deal. You've been running for too long now and I am offering you a solution to your problem and you can help me with mine." Fury said.

She hated that he had a point. "And the fighting? I won't have to do any of that?" she asked.

"No, you're not expected to fight although I hear you can hold your own quite well." Fury said, recalling the video and what Natasha had told him.

"I try to stay away from the line of fire." she quipped shortly.

"Clearly." Fury said with a slight smile. "So what do you say? Are you in?"

She tugged at the chains. "I don't have much of a choice now, do I, Director Fury?"

"Not really. But I would like for you think of our new alliance as one that will benefit us both in the difficult times that will undoubtedly come." he said.

Katherine sighed in displeasure. "Fine. I suppose you do have a point. So…do you mind?" she gestured at the chains. "I am starting to lose the feelings in my limbs"

"There is one more aspect to this partnership which I neglect to mention."

~.~

That last part of the negotiation had been unexpected. The listening members of the Avengers did not like it one bit but knew it was probably for the best if Fury believe their captive would go along with it. It was the 'keeping her identity a secret' part that they hated. While Hill went about unchaining and attending to their guest, Fury exited the room and found Natasha and Clint outside waiting for him.

"Director, if I may, I don't think we should keep this a secret from Steve." Natasha began. "He needs to know what she is in case she tries to attack him and I wouldn't put it past her to try."

"Agent Romanoff, Miss Pierce knows better than to try especially now that we have Stark's bracelet on her. I truly believe that this is the best and most efficient course of action to take." the director said as they walked briskly through the hallways.

"Sure, leave a psychotic vampire in the Cap's care without his knowledge. That'll end well." Clint muttered sarcastically.

"I know what I am doing. Katherine Pierce is not only knowledgeable in the supernatural world but also in the 70 years that Rogers missed out on. She can help him adapt while he can provide her the protection she requires. And Rogers doesn't need to know of her nature just yet." Fury said. "We'll tell him when the time comes but not now."

"I hope that time isn't when whatever is after her finds her and decides to tear New York apart in process." Natasha said. A look from Clint mirrored her thoughts. The director wasn't telling them something which made them more curious to find out what especially when it involved their teammate.

"Yes, that reminds me." They came to a stop outside a room that was the exact replica of their meeting room on-board the Helicarrier. "Find out what we have so far on the two assassins who attacked you and Tony at the Plaza. Doctor Selvig should have something by now from the bodies retrieved."

"Yes, sir." Natasha said and peeled off in a different direction, leaving both men staring at each other.

"Sir, do you even know what we are up against this time?" Clint had to ask. "I mean, Loki was bad enough but if there is something out there worse than a vampire, then shouldn't we be tracking it?"

"In due time, Agent Barton." Fury promised. "Besides, we have something it wants and in time, it will come for her. And with her help, we'll be ready for it."

Clint still did not like the plan but said nothing as the doors slid open revealing Steve and Bruce already waiting inside.

~.~

Well, she had certainly not expected that last part of their little deal. As a slim brunette agent went about taking her stats before undoing her chains, she chewed over Fury's words with distaste.

_"There is one more aspect to this partnership which I neglect to mention." _

_She glanced up at him warily. _

_"Your knowledge of the supernatural is not the only valuable thing about you. I assume you have heard about Captain America."_

_"Heard about him, read the comics but never really caught the shows. You know, being on the run and all." she said. "Also American propaganda, not really my thing. I was travelling through Italy when I heard was that he went down in battle in 1943. I also heard that he was seen in battle a few months ago. So Fury, if you're trying to tell me what I think you're telling me, I am way ahead of you so keep talking." _

_Fury stared at her, certain now that she was the right person for the job. "We found him half a year ago in the ice, in deep sleep but alive. He's a part of SHEILD now as a member of the Avengers. I believe you have met two of our members already." _

_"The tin man and Red. Really lovely people." _

_He ignored her sarcasm. "Yes but back to the Cap. For 70 years, he has gone under and has been, for a lack of better word, left behind by society's norms and expectations. He's a man out of his time and we need to help him adapt." _

_Oh, no. She saw where this was going. "You wanted me to bring Captain America up to speed on the last 70 years and on the current shenanigans you humans are up to." she deadpanned._

_Fury smiled. "You catch on quick."_

_She glowered at him, daring him to go on. And he did. _

_"Quid pro quo." Fury said. "You teach him how to live in this century and he protects you. It's a win-win situation. The only catch is that you don't tell him about you." _

_"Why? Afraid he might just drive a stake through my heart?" she sneered. "Which by the way is lesson one."_

"Miss Pierce, Director Fury is expected you in the briefing room in ten minutes. I'll guide you there." Agent Hill said as she stepped back.

Katherine looked at her as she rose gracefully from the chair, feeling her strength returning to her limbs. "You are not afraid of me."

The woman merely stared back at her. "I've seen worst. Now if you're ready, let's –,"

The door opened and Tony strolled in. The surprised glare the agent gave him indicated she was not expecting to see him.

"That would be all, Agent Hill. I would like to escort the lovely lady to the briefing." he grinned.

"Mister Stark, I don't think you should be –," she began.

"Agent Hill, have faith in my jewellery making skills." Tony said, nodding at the bracelet that Katherine now studied closely. "Don't bother. Only I have the key to getting that off."

"Of course." she said sardonically.

"You know, it won't kill you to be nice." Tony said as he held the door open for her. "Then again, from what I gathered, not a lot of things can kill you."

"You're not wrong about that." she said as they began walking through the hallways of the building. "What do you want, Mister Stark? Besides escorting me to a room filled with superheroes."

"You intrigue me, Katherine." he told her as he took the lead. "I can call you Katherine right? Miss Pierce is just so…formal. Or would you prefer Katarina? Because that is the name that man called you back at the hotel."

To her credit, Katherine did not falter in her pace. "It's one of my aliases." she said dismissively.

"Really? Because it sounds very old world. What is it? Russian? Belgium?"

"Are you going to be talking the whole way?" she said. "Because I think I am better off on my own."

"You won't get far because we're here." Tony pointed at the door ahead. "And before we go in and you get overwhelmed by the sheer awesomeness of the Avengers, I just have this to say."

Biting back a sigh of annoyance, she looked at him.

"The Cap is my friend. Granted, he can be stiff, oh-so-annoying-polite and stuck with his old school ways but that probably comes with playing a capiscle for so long…" he drifted off momentarily before the glare she gave him brought him back to point. "Anyway, my point is he's my friend and I will hurt you if you so much as try to make a snack of him."

Katherine gazed at him through long dark eyelashes, surprised to hear such a serious tone in his voice and smirked. "Have some faith in your jewellery making skills, Tony."

The door slid open to admit them and with Tony taking the lead, they entered the spacious room with a wide window that overlooked the city of New York.

"Mister Stark, it is about time." Fury said, looking over his shoulder with his one good eye. "Miss Pierce, nice of you to join us."

She studied the members of the Avenger, trying to piece what she had seen on the news to the group of misfits that gathered in the room minus the red-headed assassin. A very good-looking man stood in a corner by the window, his biceps clearly defined from under his shirt as he crossed his arms over his chest, his piercing blue eyes watching her like a hawk. Quickly classifying him as human, she turned to the next person of the team. Her primal instincts pricked however when she glanced at the next man in a purple shirt and glasses. He seemed human enough but she knew to trust her instincts. From the way he looked back at her tensely, it seemed he may sense something off about her as well.

"Miss Pierce, I believe you have yet to meet Agent Burton and Doctor Bruce Banner." Nick was saying. "And this is Captain Steve –,"

"Katherine?"

A deep voice interrupted the director's introduction and made her eyes widen in recognition. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me…." she muttered to herself as she turned to the owner of that familiar voice.

Steve rose from his seat, his mind still trying to register what his eyes was seeing. He had certainly not expected their new supernatural consultant (as Fury had dubbed her) to be the same woman he had encountered the previous day.

"Why are you…?" before he could complete his sentence, Fury cleared his throat.

"You two have met." he stated, arching his eyebrow.

"We have." Katherine smirked, looking up at the man who was still staring at her as though he couldn't believe his eyes. "At a bar."

"Fancy that." Tony commented. "Old Cap at a bar."

"So you're Captain America." Katherine said lightly, an amused smile at her lips as she looked him up and down and tried to picture him in that famous star-spangled outfit the hero was recognised for. "Seems about right, I supposed." How else could he have snuck up on her without her knowing back at the former Stork club?

"They didn't tell you about me?" Steve was surprised. He thought Fury would have at least have briefed their new team member on the Avengers' identities seeing as she was going to be working closely with them. He took in her clothes and realised that she was wearing the same attire as yesterday. He answered his own question. "Because there wasn't time."

"I guess Fury wanted it to be a surprise." she said, shooting a side glance at the bald man.

"Now that you two are reacquainted." Fury continued. "Can we get back to the matter at hand?"

Out of habit, Steve held a chair out for the newcomer before returning to his own seat next to her. Katherine caught the roll of the eye that Tony gave the Cap. He was right about Steve being struck in his old ways. In a way, she found it…somewhat nostalgic.

"Miss Pierce here will be joining us as our supernatural consultant. She has years of experience dealing with the underbelly of our world and SHIELD believes that whatever knowledge she imparts to us will be useful in the future should a threat arise."

Bruce raised a hand. "How is it that no one has ever known that another world –one that consists of vampires, werewolves and demons – has existed alongside ours all this time?"

Katherine suspected that was her cue to play to her cover. "Because humans are incredibly ignorant to what they don't understand and they fear what they cannot control. They try to theorise anything that they don't understand with science instead of just believing what they are seeing. In a way, it's kind of like having faith a God that you cannot see. Except instead of a God, they have to accept the fact that there are worst terrors out there that they cannot fight. And humans with all their survivor skills, just cannot comprehend that."

"Why hasn't there been proof of such an existence?" Clint asked. Vampire or not, the notion of another world filled with demons and magic was intriguing.

"Oh, there has. Dracula and Sleepy Hollow are inspired by the writers' encounters with the supernatural." she leaned back in her chair, remembering fondly of a time when she was honoured with the company of the most celebrated vampire in the world. And one that doesn't sparkle in the sunlight. Count Dracula had been sweet on her until he tried to make her one of his brides. After she killed his human servants, he allowed her to leave. "But the reason why there hasn't been physical evidence is because they are just very good at blending in and adapting with the human society and its very changing cultures."

"So they can be just about anyone we know or pass on the street." Tony said looking at her.

She stared back, unwavering. "That's correct."

"As you can see, gentlemen, Miss Pierce is the ideal person to go to for matters pertaining the supernatural." Fury cut in before they could bombard her with more questions. "Seeing as we have no idea what we might be up against yet, she'll be updating us on the basics first. At the meantime, Captain Rogers, you will be in charge of keeping her safe."

"Yes, sir." Steve said.

"Miss Pierce will be staying with you from now on as she's also your tutor in bringing your up-to-speed on the last 70 years."

He started to automatically answer when his brain finally caught up. "I am sorry, sir? But did you just saying she'll be staying with me?"

"Yes, because not only will you be protecting her, Miss Pierce will also be helping you adapt into today's world. She'll be teaching you the ropes so we decided it would be best if she remains at hand to help you." Fury explained.

"With all due respect, sir," Steve began uneasily. "I don't think Katherine, I mean, Miss Pierce will feel comfortable with this arrangement."

Both looked at the woman for confirmation and she looked up from her nails preening. "I am fine with this arrangement. After all, it is for my protection. Oh, and it's perfectly normal, acceptable even in today's society."

Steve still looked unconvinced and possibly a little flushed by the thought of a woman under his roof.

"Relax, Stevie."

"Steve."

"Whatever. I promise I'll behave and keep my hands to myself." she said with a flirtatious smirk. "As long as you do the same."

Tony had to press his lips together to suppress a laugh to see the legendary Captain America rendered speechless by a woman. It was a pity she was a bloodsucking demon for he could already envision many fun times teasing Steve.

"What do you say, Cap?" she purred. "I promise I won't bite…."

Steve in that moment looked helpless adorably lost as to what to do and his comrades were not helping by trying to hide their amusement while Fury looked exasperated.

"Miss Pierce, if you're done." he said in annoyance.

Katherine gave a short laugh. "I am only pulling your leg, Steve which by the way means I was joking."

"I know what it means." Steve muttered with a faint blush. Tony has said that line too many times at his expanses.

"Rogers, this matter is not up for negotiation. Miss Pierce requires your protection because we have reason to believe that someone or something is after her. Last night, Agent Romanoff and Stark were attacked when they went to her hotel to recruit her." Fury revealed. "Fortunately they were not too much to handle."

Steve's eyes narrowed, wondering why he was only just informed of this now. "Attacked? By what?"

"That's what we're trying to find out. Doctor Selvig is currently examining the bodies even as we speak. Which is why I have already made arrangements for Miss Pierce to stay with you until indefinite. While you can watch over her, she can and will help you." Fury said with finality, directing that last sentence at the woman in question. He paused briefly as his earpiece came on before turning back to his team of misfits. "Now if there are no more questions, excuse me for a moment."

~.~

Leaving the Avengers' members to their own devices and for them to get to know their new 'supernatural consultant', Fury made his way to the science laboratories where Natasha had summoned him, claiming that Doctor Selvig had found something on the bodies of the assassins.

"So what do we have, doctor? Supernatural or extra-terrestrial?"

"You know I was a bit sceptical when you pulled me on board for this. Cell studies are not my area of expertise but this is….disturbingly familiar." Erik Selvig said, looking up from the microscope and adjusting the angle of the cell sample extracted from the body of female assassin on the examination table nearby. "And I don't think you're going to like this."

Fury stared at the screen that displayed an enhanced image of the cell sample and information that stood out. "Chitauri?"

"In human form." Selvig said.

"How is that possible?"

"The Avengers may have stopped Loki's assaults but we never knew how he came to gain command over the Chitauri or who gave him that command and for what purpose." Selgiv pointed out. "In the fact of the matter is we know so little about the Chitauris like what are their true capablities or where they came from."

"Tell him about the second body, Doc." Natasha said.

They moved over the slab where the big bulky form of the second assassin laid. A large crisp hole in the body indicated where Iron Man had shot him and effectively killed him. Natasha maintained her distance, staring at the tiny bullet holes that had done nothing to slow him and at the face that wasn't quite human.

"Agent Romanoff told me how resilient this fella was so I thought at first, alien but when I had a closer look…I have never seen anything like this before…."

Silence filled the lab as Fury digested the revelation before him. "The Chitauri was working with a werewolf?"

* * *

Things are getting good now. How do you think Steve will react to living under the same roof as Katherine? Before you ask how does Tony and SHIELD know about vervain, I'll answer you! Because they are Tony-Ironman-Stark and SHIELD, that's why! If they have been tracking a vampire for years now, I am sure they would make sure they know its weakness before ambushing one.

**Review pls!**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/n: **Been super busy lately as it's Chinese New Year in my country. I just barely had time to time to do up this chapter so apologies for any errors and its length. I promise things will get more interesting in the next chapter.

As usual, thanks to my reviewers (you know who you are)

* * *

**Chapter 4**

After Fury left them, Bruce immediately ambushed the newcomer, his curiosity perked by everything she said earlier about the existence of another world. Abandoning his initial ill-feelings of her, he walked over to her, catching her attention by clearing his throat.

"Miss Pierce?"

Katherine turned her attention away from Steve and Tony who had started bickering over the attack on the hotel and glanced at the doctor. "Doctor Banner, right?

"Yes." he smiled, offering her his hand and when they shook, he mildly noted how below normal human temperature her hand felt. "What you said earlier, that was fascinating. I never knew and for someone as young as you to be such an expert on it…"

"Ah, yes." she pursed her lips briefly. "It runs in the family. Quite a curse and a blessing actually."

He chuckled. "I wish I could say the same about my situation." he stopped when he noticed her studying him closely. "What is it?"

"Nothing. I am just trying to figure out which one are you."

"Which one?" he blinked then it clicked that she was trying to guess his role in the Avengers and he let out a low laugh. "Boy, Fury really didn't brief you on us, did he?"

"Sadly no." she said, making a mental note to throw a book or something at the director. "He decided it would be more fun to let me guess my way through."

"I know the feeling."

"So, let me see…" she cocked her head as she took in his entire statue. "Steve is Captain A and Jackass is Ironman. That just leaves the God of Lightning and the big green guy… You don't strike me as the 'Shakespearean-in-the-park' type. What?"

Bruce stifled his laugh. "You have no idea how much you sound like Tony."

She blanched visibly. "Please don't make me puke. Now where was I? So…" her eyes widened a faction as by deduction and hints from her instincts, it dawned upon her. "Big green?" she asked.

"Yup." Bruce answered sheepishly, already anticipating her running to the others for safety. "But it only happens when I get mad or upset."

"Huh." That explained her instincts going into overdrive and she stored this information away. She shrugged. "Remind me never to piss you off then."

"Yeah, that would be wise." he agreed, surprised that she wasn't the least bit afraid of him as they glanced at the two men still locked in a heated verbal battle. Clint was trying to mediate between them and looked as though he could just knock them out.

"Is this normal?" Katherine asked, wondering how Tony could claim to be Steve's friend when they were currently on the verge to killing each other.

"Unfortunately, yes." Bruce muttered regrettably.

"It was supposed to be a simple extraction mission." Tony was arguing. "I was the best person for the job."

"Why? Because you're so charming?" Steve retorted.

"Why, yes. That seems to be the best explanation of why Fury picked me over you." the billionaire quipped. "I got her here, didn't I?"

"Well…," Katherine drawled, halting the argument momentarily. "Technically, Stark, you did drug me to get me here."

Steve whirled on the other man, ready to go another bout only to have the dark-haired female step between them, her hands firmly planted on their chests and pushed them apart. Tony and Steve shared a mildly surprised look. She was stronger than she looked.

"Will the both of you knock it off?" she admonished, unable to believe that they were part of the team that saved the world. "Geez, if you guys were any more testosterone driven, you are in danger of getting yourself pregnant."

There was brief moment of stunned silence as the men digested what she just said before snickers and barely suppressed laughter from Client and Bruce broke the quietness, elevating the terse situation effectively. Satisfied that both men had stopped acting like children in a playground, Katherine leaned up against the table.

"So…what's the deal with Red?"

Before any of them could answer her question, Clint pressed his earpiece, listening to something someone was saying on the other end. "We'll be right there, boss." He turned the rest. "Director Fury wants us in the lab now. He has something to show us, especially you Miss Pierce."

They quickly filled out of the room with Tony in the lead. Katherine followed from behind, her eyes taking in the structure as they passed through several hallways. Several agents respectably allowed the team to pass and she couldn't help but notice the curious looks they gave her.

"Gentlemen." Fury greeted when they reached the lab. "Miss Pierce, it looks like your consultation hours starts now."

Katherine stepped in for a closer look, glancing to her side when she sensed eyes on her. Natasha stood beside an elderly man who has yet to look up from his specimen on the table but her eyes watched the other female warily.

"What are those?" Bruce asked staring at the dead woman on the table. She looked human even in death but he couldn't shake the feeling there was something familiar about her. The other dead body however was a different thing altogether.

"These are the bodies we extracted from the Plaza." Fury explained, pulling one of the panel over to show them their findings. "The first body is one you are all quite familiar with."

Tony started fiddling with the images and numbers on the screen. His frown deepened and everyone knew if Tony was frowning, it wasn't a good sign. "Very familiar indeed." he muttered gravely as the internal exoskeleton came on screen. "Right. Here's my question. Why does a Chitauri look like a human?"

"Hold your questions until you see this one." Fury beckoned for them to approach the next body.

Doctor Selvig looked positively excited as he prodded at the elongated limbs that were covered in coarse grey hair. "The arms and legs are still growing! It's like the creature is reverting back to its original form. And its facial features…"

"Hideous." Tony shuddered staring at the snort and muzzle that was closer to a beast than man. "He looked much better last night."

"Well, given that he's dead…" Bruce pointed out.

Steve glanced at Katherine who approached the body cautiously, noticing how her dark eyes were narrowed. "Are you okay?"

"Miss Pierce." Fury called. "What is your expert opinion?"

"That's a werewolf." she muttered. "Lycans with the ability to take on human form. They can only transform to their natural state under the full moon but even in human form, they're dangerously powerful."

"Hm. Can't be that powerful." Clint commented. "Since Tony managed to take him down."

Katherine tensed as she continued. "Werewolves are almost invulnerable with their accelerated healing abilities. Silver can weaken them while a straight shot to the heart will kill them. Other than that, decapitation works just as well. But…" she studied the wound closely, puzzled that it hasn't recovered. "This is the first time I've seen a werewolf taken down so easily."

Natasha scoffed. "If you call that easy."

"Hey, I think I deserve a bit of credit." Tony said.

"They're usually tougher than this." Katherine muttered, thinking to herself. "And they don't act outside of their packs. Werewolves are pack animals, capable of working only with their own."

"So the real questions are why is the werewolf working with a Chitauri and does this have something to do with the Chitauri's new ability to take on human form?" Natasha said. She hated to say it but the information the other female had just provided them was useful. "Because if it does…then we're in trouble."

"Miss Pierce." Katherine was beginning to hate the way Fury addressed her every time. "Perhaps it was time you tell us who is after you."

All eyes turned to her and she signed nonchalantly. "Oh, joy… This will be…fun."

~.~

The meeting place was not the best of places but it served its purpose in terms of secrecy. The old sewage factory downtown had long past its usefulness and had been forgotten and abandoned by the city. But to the creatures that lurked in the dark, it served them well. This morning two heavy tinted cars drove into the covered building, parking and a group of dark cladded people stepped out. In lead was a tall blonde female with piercing green eyes.

Keeping to the shadows she strode up to the figure that awaited them. In appearance the male seemed human with his smart casual appearance and handsome features but she knew better. She could smell the alien in him.

"Zarkis, I've received word that we have failed to capture Katherine and that she is now in the custody of SHIELD and in effect, the Avengers." she said with a frown.

"Had the assassin and Iron Man not been there, we would have had her by now. However that was merely a test mission to observe our…unique partnership." one of the men said calmly. "These human bodies limit our capabilities."

"But it allows you to sustain yourself independently and keeps you hidden from your enemies." the blonde reminded them. "Which is what you need if Thanos is to launch a full assault on earth."

"But first we must remove the SHIELD and the Avengers. As the God of Mischief, Loki has proven in his attempt, these humans are not to be underestimated."

"Neither are my forces." she nodded at the group behind her. "Because at the end of the day, these humans are merely humans. They can be killed."

"Meet your end of the bargain and Thanos will abide by his end. The earth will be returned once more to the vampires and werewolves once Thanos has enslaved the human race." the disguised Chitauri said. "And you shall be its queen."

~.~

It was back to the meeting room for them, leaving Selvig to continue studying the alien. This time the attention was solely on Katherine as she took her time piecing her thoughts together. Steve studied her expression and it worried him a little. In the short time he had known her – 24 hours to be precise – he has never seen her look so...torn and frightened.

"Director, maybe we should do this later." he suggested turning to appeal to Fury. "You know, until once Miss Pierce is ready."

"I am ready." She said, looking at the group and at Steve in particular. She inhaled deeply, an old human habit of her to claim her nerves. "His name is Klaus. He's a vampire and not just any vampire. He is...the oldest vampire in the world."

Pregnant silence filled the room and taking in their stunned expressions, Katherine continued. "He is the first known vampire to walk the earth and is feared by many in the supernatural world, vampires and werewolves alike."

"And he's after you?" Clint asked in confirmation.

"What did you do to piss him off?" Tony asked non-eloquently.

"I know too much." she answered shortly. "And he wants me silenced."

"Yikes." the inventor muttered.

"How long has he been after you?" Steve asked.

"Um, for as long as I can remember." she answered honestly.

"Is there a way we can stop him?" he continued.

She sighed. "Believe me, if there was a way to kill Klaus, I would have done it by now. As far as I know, no one has ever come close to kill him. But like all of his brethren, Klaus is not immune to vampire weaknesses. Vampires can be killed by long exposures to sunlight but Klaus has acquired a talisman of some sort that protects him from the sun's effects." Here at this point, she noticed Fury staring at her necklace and she knew he was fitting the pieces together. "And contrary to popular belief, garlic and crosses have no effect on vampires much less an Original. However vervain has been known to weaken them tremendously. Having vervain on you or in you keeps the bad vampires away. And of course, there are three known ways to kill a vampire."

She held up three fingers and counted them down. "One, the traditional wooden stake through the heart. Two, ripping out their heart. And finally three, decapitation."

Clint half-raised a hand. "How can we tell a vampire apart from a normal human? Because you know, we don't want to accidentally go around killing innocent bystanders."

Good question. "You can't." she said. "Well, not immediately anyway."

"That helps." Tony summarised, earning an irritated look from her.

"So Klaus." Surprisingly it was Natasha who interrupted. "Do we have a lead on his whereabouts?"

"Well, I can tell you where he is not and that is New York." Katherine said absent-mindedly. "Klaus is rather recluse and only those in his inner circle know where to find him."

"So our best bet now is to work with what we have and find out why a werewolf was working with a Chitauri." Fury said. "I'll have my agents working on tracking down werewolves in New York and finding out how the Chitauri got in without our knowledge."

"Sir, perhaps we should contact Thor on this. He might have some ideas." Natasha suggested.

Nobody noticed when Katherine visibly blanched when Thor's name was mentioned.

"Our communications portal has yet to be stabilised." Fury said. "But we'll keep trying. You are all dismissed for today but be on standby."

"Aye aye, boss." Tony mocked salute like the man-child he was.

As they began to clear out, Fury turned to Steve and Katherine. "A car is waiting for you two downstairs that will take you to your apartment. I have allocated an expanse account for you, Miss Pierce that will help you with your…requirements as well whatever you need in order to aid Captain Rogers. Your personal belongings have already been taken there."

"How kind of you." she muttered sarcastically.

"I understand our arrangement is a little unorthodox but it is for the best. You'll be safe with Steve." Fury assured her.

_Because you need me for what I know, you foolish human_, the thought crossed her mind as she smiled. "You know your men best. I am entrusting my wellbeing and life in that of your hands and in that of…Captain America."

As she strutted off after Bruce who didn't seem to mind her company, Fury sighed as he turned to a baffled Steve. "Looks like you got your hands full with this one, Cap."

Was that sympathy in the director's voice? Steve couldn't be sure.

* * *

**Read and review!**


	6. Chapter 5

A/N: Hey, guys! Sorry for the delay in updates. Feb as mentioned in the previous chapter has been crazy busy but I am back now and with that, another chapter! As promised, things will get interesting here as Katherine gets her perfectly manicured hands dirty.

Again, muchas gracias to my readers and reviewers (TheElegantFaerie, The Great Blond Balrog Slayer, Sonya, Alaee301)

And since some of you brought it, Katherine didn't tell them about the doppelganger curse simply because she's Katherine, there is no need to and the less they know, the more leverage she has!

On with the story!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

The car ride to Steve's apartment passed in silence with him staring out the window and Katherine preening and studying the 'bracelet' around her wrist. Tony's piece of work really was something considering it was a rush job. Running her finger along the silver material, she wondered if it really worked.

"So how long have you been doing this?"

She blinked, surprised that Steve had spoken first as she looked at him. "Doing what?"

"Being a walking demon encyclopaedia." he said, still looking at the passing scenery. "Doesn't strike me as the usual family business."

"Not too long actually." Katherine said hesitantly. How much could she reveal to him without compromising her true nature? "I… didn't choose this."

Steve looked at her in surprise. "You didn't?

Briefly, she contemplated telling him of a much younger Katherine who knew nothing of vampires and werewolves, a girl who still had her family. Just briefly. "Nope. Your boss dragged me into this when he heard of what I knew and who was after me. He assumed it was a fair trade. My knowledge of Klaus and his world for my safety."

"And do you think it's a fair trade?" Steve asked, concerned. He wasn't the least bit surprised that Fury had pulled that.

"Well, I have world's mightiest superheroes on my speed dial and the legendary Captain America as my personal bodyguard." Katherine said nonchalantly. "All in exchange for the information swirling about in my head. I'd say it's more than a fair deal."

"So…that bit in the Stork club." he continued with a small smile. "Was that for real or what? Are you really a history expert?"

She studied him for a while. "You're questioning whether I can catch you up, aren't you? Whether I can you get back into society."

He ducked his head, embarrassed that she read his intentions. "I am sorry. It's just that when Fury put you under my care, I thought that whole 'helping me' part was just a cover. You know, to ease me into the idea. Ever since I woke up, Fury has been treating me like I would have a mental breakdown or something." He gave a sardonic chuckle. "I just have to know."

Katherine, in her years of reading people so that she could manipulate them, could plainly see the pain and sadness in Steve's blue eyes. This was a man who lost everything including the life he was meant to live and the fact that he was aware of that made it worst. In a way, she could relate. She had watched everyone around her grow old and die while she continued to live on, untouched by time. Granted she couldn't careless about others but at least she had the opportunity to teach herself to adapt while Steve wasn't so lucky. Right now, she was torn between maintaining her distance emotionally and actually helping the guy.

_Give him a break,_ she told herself. _He's your bodyguard. Can't be a good one if he's all emo and stuff. _

"Fury wasn't lying to you. I can help." she said. "I wouldn't know where to start but…Steve, if there's one thing I can good at, it's adapting and I'll teach you how and in time, you'll adapt to this society." For extra emphasis and_ really_ she didn't know why she did it, she added. "I promise."

Steve smiled in return and the grimness in his face seemed to vanish replaced by hopefulness that instantly made Katherine regret uttering that last bit.

Just about then, their driver pulled the car to a stop. "Mister Rogers, Miss Pierce, we are here."

The apartment seemed to take up the entire highest floor of the building and to say it was huge was an understatement. The entrance opened into a spacious living room that also led to the kitchen and two bedrooms. A staircase in a corner led to the second floor that overlooked the first floor where Steve explained was the personal training room which also led to an outdoor swimming pool.

Sorely, Katherine conceded it was even better than her hotel suite. It was decorated to mirror the elegance of a hotel but from the lack of mess, she felt as though no one really lived here. Standing in front of the ceiling to floor window, she could see Stark Towers not too far away.

"SHIELD certainly did not spare any expanses with you." she said. "But I don't understand why didn't you just stay with Stark? Isn't that building Avengers headquarters or something?"

Steve sighed as he hung up his jacket. "Because put all of us in one room for prolonged periods and one of us might end up a dead body by the end of it. My money is on Stark."

"Right." She turned to face him, allowing herself a brief moment to admire his physic as he strolled to the kitchen for a drink, his movements lithe for someone his size. "So how shall we start?"

"I don't know." he said, pulling out two bottles of water. "You're the teacher…ma'am."

Her eyes narrowed as he gave her a boyish grin and handed a bottle to her. "Lesson one, Cap. Don't. Call. Me. Ma'am. Ever."

"Yes, ma'am –I mean, Katherine."

Shooting another glare at him, Katherine began to pace. "Okay, first let's establish what you do know and what you don't. Where do you keep your computer or laptop?"

Steve shrugged helplessly. "Don't have one."

"What?"

"Stark tried to teach me how to use one and needless to say, that didn't go to well." Cap explained, grimacing at the memory. "He had me banned for life from ever going near a computer."

"Well, consider that ban lifted then." Katherine said. "We'll need to get a laptop first though…"

"What's the point?" Steve sat down. "I don't even know how to turn it on."

"Not for you. For me." she said, dropping into the sofa across him and elegantly crossing her legs in front of her. "I know my historical facts but I am going to need movies, music and all those stuffs to help you. Maybe we should start with the 1970s. The fashion and television culture then was quite…colourful. Literally."

Truth be told, she hated the 70s with their bell-bottomed pants, disco faze and Charlie's Angels madness. The hippie trend spoiled the blood banks and her food source then although they were fun to kill because they never knew what they faced until their last breath.

"Perhaps you could just tell me what happened after World War II ended." Steve suggested quietly, his eyes haunted. "Fury kept telling me that we won but he never once told me what we lost."

Katherine closed her eyes, allowing herself to be transported back to the time of war, a time she riveted in as she drained dying soldiers of their blood. She remembered gunshots, the scent of gunpowder and blood and the screams of men, children and women. "Then make yourself comfortable, Cap. We'll be here for a while."

~.~

"Sir, I was unable to find anything on Katherine Pierce."

Seated in his lab and hunched over an electrical circuit, Tony paused in his work and frowned. "Well, that's disappointing. You let me down, JARVIS."

"I've looked into every database in the world and while there has been many Katherine Pierce, none match the one you speak of." the AI said. If it had been human, JARVIS would have sounded annoyed.

Someone cleared her throat behind the inventor, making Tony look up. "Pepper."

"Tony, why are you having JARVIS look up a woman that is supposed to be helping SHIELD?" Pepper asked, narrowing her eyes at her boyfriend.

"Vampire." Tony automatically corrected her. "She's a vampire. And that's why."

"Doesn't matter." Pepper said. When Tony told her about the Avengers' new associate, she was mildly shocked but as a woman living with Tony Stark and a scientist with a severe case of Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde and with occasional visits from a super soldier, a demigod and two master assassins, nothing much surprised her now. "If she's a vampire, then she must know her stuff what being a hundred years old or so. If what she knows can keep you alive and can help Steve, then I am all for her being on the team."

"Yes, but I don't trust her…" something in Tony's mind clicked when her words sunk in. "The databases are outdated."

"Tony?" Pepper asked, well aware of his mind of flying ahead.

"Sir, I assure you that every database I have accessed to have been updated." JARVIS said.

"JARVIS, forget the database. Look back on record dating back to the 40s. Go through everything. Film clips, photos, newspapers clipping. Look under various alias with the basis of Katarina or Katrina. It's a very old name, possibly European. Start there." Tony said standing up and groaning from the stretch of his back muscles. He turned to Pepper who clearly was looking for an explanation. "Fury seems to think she can help the Cap. I believe Katherine has been around since the 1940s."

She blinked. "That is…"

"She looks hot for an over 70 year old." Tony muttered distractedly.

_Smack! _

"Ow!"

~.~

The sound of fists striking a sandbag rang through the two-storey apartment. The sandbag barely moved but the force behind the punches was evident as sand began to empty on to the floor from the tear between the cloths. Steve relished the sounds and the feel of his hands meeting contained sand at a rapid pace because it was consistent and calming. It burned the energy in his body, brought on by what Katherine had told him the previous day about the end of the war, after he went down in the plane.

_"The United States and its allies lost twice as many men compared to the enemy." _

Would it have made a difference if he had been there?

"Are you still brooding?"

Stopping the gentle sway of the bag with a hand, Steve looked up to find his guest leaning over the railings that condoned off the training area. She had changed into a more casual and loose attire while her long dark hair was pulled back into a braid that hung over a shoulder.

"You here to work out?"

Katherine made a face. "And get all sweaty? No thanks. I just had my shower." she revealed. "Nothing quite refreshes you like a good nap and a hot shower after. You should try it sometime."

Steve reddened slightly and lifted his fists once more.

As the hollow thuds picked up again, Katherine glanced at the clock, bored and realised it was almost ten in the morning. She has been struck indoors for a full day and she recalled she hasn't had a bite since the previous night before two certain Avengers broke into her hotel room. Fury had promised her blood supplies to keep her from attacking people and true enough she found hidden blood bags in her room. So far, SHIELD has failed to let her down.

_I guess having a rising body count won't help,_ she thought as she appreciated the view of Steve going at the poor sandbag as though it were a Nazi.

After she explained to him how World War II affected society and the world, the Cap entered into a downward spiral of emotions which made her want to smack him. Katherine wasn't one for self-pity and she knew there was nothing he could have done, what with him being struck in ice. But she knew he wouldn't listen and the only way to make him feel better was to let him abuse the sandbag.

_Men_, she thought. Still, she supposed she could have ended up with worst as her bodyguard.

Tony would have driven her mad with his talking while Banner, although nice, still had a raging beast inside that did not like her own vampirism nature. Clint was pleasant enough but she suspected Natasha would have shot her just for looking at him one way. And speaking of the legendary Black Widow…

"I might need to beat some sense into her…" she muttered, unaware she had just said that aloud.

"Sorry?" the hitting stopped and Steve looked at her again.

She cursed his heightened hearing and straightened. "I am bored, Cap. Let's grab a bite."

"Alright." he said, panting slightly from the exertion. "Just give me a moment to wash up and I'll call the driver."

"Actually." she smiled. "I have a better idea."

~.~

Half an hour later, the looming skyscrapers of New York lined the streets as Katherine and Steve strolled along the walkway, a Subway sandwich in hand each. Ever since the Chitauri attack, Steve couldn't remembered the last time he was on the streets just for the heck of it as Katherine had put it. He has walked to Stark Towers on countless occasions but he never once stop to look up at the signboards or at the posters that decorated the street walls nor had he once listened to the radio and its music.

"So Radio Shack is actually not a shack with radios in it?"

"Well, no. They do have radios but they also have other things as well." Katherine said. "Mp3, iPods, handphones. If Stark wasn't so advanced, it would be his personal candy land."

Steve had to chuckle at that. "And that laptop you order, they will deliver it to the apartment? That's good customer service. And they can do that for everything?"

"Just about. Businesses need good customer relations. To strive in today's business world." she said in between bites. "It's no longer customers going to the stores but rather the stores going to the customers."

"And the Internet helps with this?" he asked curiously as he munched on his foot long sandwich. Sandwiches were something he was familiar with. Just good old bread with meat and greens stuffed in between.

"Yes." Katherine was pleased with how much Steve was taking in. She knew it was a good idea to teach him on the go. Showing him worked so much better than telling him. "Once we have the laptop up and running, I'll show you how. So don't worry your pretty little head over it."

"I am not!" he protested, flustering from her words.

"Hm." she looked around, noting the movie screenings currently. "So what strikes your fancy, Cap? Music? Movies? Ladies?"

He started at her crudeness. "Ladies?"

She grinned at his discomfort. "Yes, ladies. Women who…remove their clothes for money. Come on, Steve. I am sure you had your fair share of ladies in your days."

"Believe it or not, Katherine." he muttered, staring at the ground as they walked. "I wasn't always Captain America. Before the super serum, I was…just a scrawny kid from Brooklyn. Girls wouldn't even give me a second glance until Peggy came along."

"Peggy?" she frowned, looking up. That name sounded familiar. "Was she your girlfriend?"

"Um, no. Actually I don't know." he confessed. "We were supposed to have a date at the Stork club. Then I went down and… I don't even know if she turned up."

"Is that why you were at the Stork club?" Katherine asked. "To reminisce?"

"I guess."

She remembered now where she had heard that name. Some vampires were gifted with an unusually photographic memory and she could recall the woman whom she sat next to at the bar, chatting the night way. Too bad she couldn't tell him any of that. Oh well. "So have you looked her up, see if she's…you know, still alive?"

"She's in London." he answered. "I heard she has a granddaughter."

A family. That went unsaid between them.

"You should visit her." she said. "Talk to her. Steve, trust me on this. If I was given a chance to see someone from my past, someone I thought gone…I would."

Steve studied her from the corner of his eye, considered her words. Despite her age, she seemed…wise beyond her years as though she has seen things no one should. Not for first time, he wondered about her. "I'll…think about it."

"That's all I asking." she smiled before taking another bite of her sandwich. "So what shall we do now?"

Steve tilted his head at a poster of a movie titled 'Batman,' "How about a movie? I don't know about a man dressed a bat but I did star as Captain America back in the days."

She snickered at his ironic humour. "At least you're not running around in your underwear and a cape. Come on. Tickets are on, well, SHIELD."

Unaware by both as they headed into the cinema, a man watched the war hero and the woman under his care. Then maintaining his distance, he followed them into the darken hall and sat several rows directly behind them as the movie started.

He could tell that the man, the fabled Captain America was amazed by the visual graphics on screen and that the vampire was bored. That was good for him because it meant she would eventually leave for hall and the safety of the Captain.

Midway through the movie, she did, excusing herself for the toilet and when Steve offered to escort her, she waved him off and with purposeful strides, exited the cinema. The man counted to ten before he too followed suit.

Once outside, he discarded all secrecy and hurried after her, momentarily losing sight of her as she disappeared behind an exit door. He emerged into a side alley, looking around and found the alley, empty.

"Hello. Looking for me?"

He whirled around and found his throat locked in a bone-crushing grip. A strangled cry escaped him as Katherine slammed him into the wall, single-handedly pinning him there and leaving his legs to dangle helplessly a foot above ground.

Katherine glanced at the bracelet on her wrist, noting that it didn't go off. That could either mean that Tony's creation was faulty or this man who had been following her wasn't human even though he did smell close to one.

"We can do this the hard way or easy way." she said nonchalantly. "And believe me, you don't want to do it the hard way. Now tell me, who do you work for?"

"Do you think I'll give away information that easily?" he laughed, despite the crushing grip on his throat. "Try harder."

Her eyes narrowed although she smirked. "With pleasure." And thrusted her free hand into his chest, penetrating his ribcage with a sickening crack.

A choked scream escaped him but his breath was cut off completely from within as she curled a fist around a lung. Struggling for air, he gasped as she continued, seemingly mindless that her hand was in his chest, making soft squishy sounds as she moved it around.

"I know what you are. I got the memo." she muttered, remembering the body Fury had shown her of her attackers. "I wonder what would happen if I…"

She twisted her arm slightly and that elected a pained cry from the man, bringing a tinge of delight to her face. "Ah, look what I found. So you do have a heart. Fascinating. You look human but your insides are all over the place. Shall I pull them out and rearrange them so that they resemble the likeness of the human you pretend to be? Hm?"

His face was scrunched in pain but he still tried to draw in air to speak. "S-s-stop."

She cocked an eyebrow, indicating she was listening. "Tell me who sent you and maybe I won't kill you so quickly.

"H-her na-name is Amanda. And she has ordered your death in exchange for her assistance and…expertise."

"Amanda." Katherine's frown deepened in recognition of the name. "Still trying to get into Klaus's pants I see."

He wheezed. "No, not Klaus. She has turned her back on your kind. She now serves…Tha-Thanos."

That was an unfamiliar name. "And what does this Thanos want?"

He rasped through the pain, intoning in a voice of one who has been convinced of his mission objective. "To take over the planet earth by eradicating the humans and everything and everyone who opposes Thanos."

She stared at him hard and without warning, retracted her blood-drenched hand from his chest. He gasped in a mixture of pain and relief despite her other hand still wrapped around his throat.

"See, that wasn't so hard." Katherine said pleasantly. "But sadly you interrupted my date with a war hero so…,"

In a blink of an eye, she ripped out his heart leaving a gaping hole with blood spluttering across his front. He struggled to breathe, much to Katherine's surprise and amusement before his last breath escaped him with a tiny gasp, his body slumping against the dirty alley ground. She glanced at the warm heart in her hand, her bloodlust rising before deciding it was disgusting since it was an odd human-alien hybrid and allowed it to drop to the ground beside the dead body. She would probably have to call Fury later to clean up the mess but she knew he would be most appreciative of the information she has.

She headed back into the cinema, making a quick stop at the bathroom to wash her hands of the blood and bumped into Steve on the way out.

"Um, sorry." he muttered abashed. "You were missing the better part of the movie. I just thought to in check on you."

"I was only in the ladies, Cap. As you can see, I am perfectly fine." she said with a teasing smirk. "Say, how bout we ditch the movie and pay Tony a visit? I've been dying to check out his dig."

"His dig?"

* * *

A/n: See? Told you things will get interesting. Review yeah!

On a side note: I am entering this contest for bloggers called the Big Blog Exchange where 16 selected bloggers will get to visit each other's countries and experience the life there. So if you like my writing style (fanfiction and blog-wise), please vote for me at the link here. Just remove the spaces:

www . bigblogexchange blog / 72003

You can read about my motivation to join this contest there and also check out my blog. If I win, who knows, I might get a chance to visit your country. Thank you!


	7. Chapter 6

A/n: Hey, guys! Time for the next update. Sorry for the delay but due to my freelance work, university thesis and my blog, my writing juice is drained. ON a side note, Iron Man 3 will be out next week so my brain juice should be recharged by then.

Thank you to my reviewers: TheElegantFaerie, MidnightMoon101, Ryaaaaann, Sonya, Porginess LMFAO, Daughter of the Pacific and Himedesu. You guys are awesome!

* * *

**Chapter 6**

"Welcome, Mister Rogers."

"I am never going to get used to that." Steve muttered, strolling into the lobby of Stark Towers and was greeted by JARVIS. He paused when he realised there were no footsteps behind him. He turned to find Katherine still standing outside the door, staring up in surprise.

"That was just JARVIS." he explained, assuming her hesitation was in surprise of the speaking lobby. "He's Stark's AI or something. Stark should be expecting us by now. Come on in."

Katherine cautiously took a step forward and felt an invisible barrier vanish as she did. "Don't mind if I do." she muttered under her breath.

Their presence was announced with a sound _ding!_ as the lift opened to admit them into Tony's penthouse apartment. Katherine nodded in appreciation as she took in the spacious living room that dwarfed Steve's own. Facing the elevator was the bar with cabinets of liqueurs lined behind it.

"Can we move in here?" she asked Steve who strolled into the living room.

"Only if you want Tony and him going at each other's throats on a daily basis." a blonde haired female said, entering the room with a bright smile. "You must be Katherine. I am Virginia Potts but you can call me Pepper. Tony has told me so much about you."

Katherine wondered just how much as she shook Pepper's hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

"Can I get you something to drink?" Pepper offered. "Is vodka up your alley? Or would you prefer something more bloody?" she winked at that last word.

So she did know. "Vodka's fine." Katherine replied with a smile. It wasn't often she crossed a human who dare befriend a vampire.

"What about you, Steve?" Pepper called as she headed to the bar.

"I am fine. Liqueur just don't do it for me." Steve said, turning away from the view of the city night sky. "Is Tony in?"

"He is downstairs in his lab with Bruce. Oh and Clint and Natasha are here too. I think they're training in the workout room." Pepper said, snatching up one of Tony's more expensive bottles and poured its contents into the glasses before holding it out to Katherine. "So how has it been, helping Steve get reacquainted into the world?"

"Surprisingly quite well." Katherine admitted, looking over her glass rim at her student. "I have yet to kill him and we watched a movie just now. That's progress alright."

Pepper beamed as she turned to Steve who flushed under the unwanted attention of both women. "Steve, you went for a movie? I am so proud of you!" she gushed.

"I have a good teacher." Steve said weakly, offering a smile at Katherine.

"Nevertheless that's good for you. I can't remember the last time you did something fun for yourself." the blonde said.

"Try never." Tony interrupted, strolling out from the lift. "The Cap never has fun."

"Well, he did today." Pepper said looking at him in annoyance. "Which is more than I can say for you."

The billionaire smirked. "You know work is fun for me. And Katherine, nice to see you again."

"Likewise, Stark." she said tilting her glass in his direction.

"Please, call me Tony. Any friend of Steve who drinks my vodka can call me Tony." he said flippantly.

"Nah, think I am gonna stick with Stark. You don't mind me calling you Stark, do you?" she replied with equal flippancy. "Terrific vodka, by the way."

Steve couldn't hide his chuckle as Pepper groaned in horror. "Oh, dear god. There are two of them."

"So what brings you here?" Tony asked.

"Katherine wanted to check out your dig as she puts it. I know now dig or crib means home." Steve said enthusiastically.

Tony glanced at Katherine who was calmly sipping her vodka. "You got him using the MTV encyclopaedia now?"

She shrugged. "He asked. I answered. That's after all my job."

"I don't think Fury had this in mind." Tony pointed out. "But hey, maybe he'll be more fun to have around now."

Steve rolled his eyes at the obvious jab at him. Pepper placed a glass of whiskey in Tony's hand, promptly coaxing him to drink up.

"Actually I am also here to ask for a favour." Katherine said, eliciting a confused look from the Captain. She pressed on. "You have technological resources and accesses to unlimited databases and information worldwide, right?"

"At my fingertips."

"I need you to help me retrieve information from those databases." she continued. "To help facilitate Steve's lessons."

"That's an odd request." Tony said, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Isn't SHIELD in charge with providing you with everything you need?"

"Yes, well. SHIELD hasn't been completely honest with Steve to begin with so I'll pass." she said.

Steve opened his mouth to speak only to have Pepper wave him quiet. She was quite interested to see how this…odd partnership played out.

Tony pondered her words and slowly began to nod. "I suppose you do have a point. Come with me. I'll fit you in with the latest toys that Stark Industries has to offer."

"Play nice." Pepper called after them as they entered the lift together and the door closed on them.

Steve stared at the lift doors in confusion. "What just happened?"

Pepper reached over and patted his arm. "Looks like Tony found a new friend."

~.~

As soon as the lift doors closed, they dropped the illusion of camaraderie between them. Tony blurted out the first thing on his mind since she asked for his favour.

"So Katherine, what is it that I am really asking JARVIS to look for?" Tony asked.

"We were being followed at the movies. By a Chitauri disguised as a human." Katherine explained. "Don't worry. I took care of it without Steve knowing."

Tony couldn't mask his astonishment just as the lift doors opened to admit them into his computer lab. "Aren't you handy to have around."

She smirked. "You have no idea. So anyway I was able to gain some information that could be of use to us."

"Oh, do tell." Tony said, propping down into his chair.

Katherine leaned against the table across him. "The Chitauris are working with a vampire known as Amanda. She was one of Klaus' followers and has been known to have her own fleet of vampires and werewolves soldiers. That is something no vampire or werewolf has been able to accomplish ever. That alone makes Amanda very dangerous. However from what I was told, she has gone rogue."

"Rogue? Won't Klaus want her dead if that's the case? I am sure you can relate."

"Again this was what I was told." she reminded him. "But I know Amanda… she practically worships the ground Klaus walks on. No, she won't turn against him. But she has the Chitauris believing otherwise."

"Not a wise move, double-crossing an alien species that tried to take over the earth."

"Trust me. Amanda can be quite…persuasive." Katherine muttered.

Tony leaned back into his seat, eyeing the woman. "You seem to know quite a lot about this woman. Why is it that you need my help again?"

"To find her." she said. "Amanda can tell us where Klaus is and how the Chitauris are getting through."

"Hm." Tony considered the idea for a while. "Alright. JARVIS, momentarily stop all current research and focus on finding records on a vampire named Amanda and once you have a visual of her, run it through every surveillance camera in the city."

"Sir, if I may, the search would progress faster if I had a visual description of her."

Tony looked at Katherine expectantly.

She sighed. "Last I saw her, 20 years ago, she was blonde with a pair of soul-sucking green eyes. She's German if that helps."

"You got that, JARVIS?" the billionaire said. "A blonde, green-eyed German in New York. Shouldn't be too hard."

"I'll try my best, sir." JARVIS replied.

"I like him." Katherine said, impressed by the AI's advanced human-like replies. "Can I have one too?"

"Nope. Have you told Fury what you just told me?" Tony said.

She shook her head. "Only that there's a dead Chitauri body behind the cinema. Doubt he would be interested in hunting down one psychotic vampire."

"He did find you." Tony reminded her. "Is that all the Chitauri told you?"

"All I managed to beat out of him." she said, smiling to herself at the memory and maintaining to herself that she had fed the name of the Chitauris' mysterious leader to Fury earlier. Needless to say, the director was impressed even though he tried to hide it. He did also chastise her against acting on her own.

_Because he's so worried that his precious Captain America will find out that his tutor is actually a vampire, _she thought._ Now that would be a hoot_.

"I hate to be on the receiving end of that beating." Tony muttered.

Katherine straightened as something else occurred to her. "Speaking of beating, there is one more thing I need to confirm."

In a flash, she was in front of Tony, gripping his throat with one hand and baring her fangs as she dove in. Tony barely reacted before she was pulling away with a snarl, gripping her arm in pain.

"Son of a –," she cursed, trying and failing to shake off the electric current seizing up her arm, the cause being the silver bracelet that was growing red.

Tony was cursing too, stumbling shock. "What the hell?!"

"I had to be check." she muttered in between pants.

"By attacking me?" he said incredulously.

"It's your collar, Jackass." she sniped. "You rather I jump on Steve?"

Their glare contest went on for a few seconds before the lift doors opened and Bruce strolled out.

"Miss Pierce, just the person I was looking for."

"Call me Katherine and how did you even know I was here?" Katherine asked suspiciously.

He grinned sheepishly, twiddling his glasses. "The big guy…knew."

"That's…comforting." Katherine grimaced at the thought of a vampire detector in the form of a raging green beast. "Why were you looking for me?"

"I was working on condensing vervain into multiple forms, you know in case of a vampire attack and was wondering how the concentration will affect its effectiveness." he explained. "Like if an injection could incapacitate someone of Klaus's calibre."

She scoffed, settling back into her leaning position against the table. "Klaus is an old one. An injection will hardly slow him down but if he were to digest vervain directly into his system, that should stop him momentarily. And by momentarily, I give you three minutes tops."

Bruce nodded as he brought up a holographic screen and tapped in the information. "Interesting. And what about the average vampires?"

"A vervain shot will render them unconscious for a few hours depending on how strong they are." she said, shooting a glare at Tony as she remembered how he had shot her just a few days ago.

"What about werewolves?" Tony joined in. "Do they have an allergy to weed like vampires do?"

"Now that you mentioned it, they don't operate so well under the influence of wolfsbane." Katherine said thoughtfully.

"Lovely. Let me call my gardener and have him get us a batch of that." Tony said sarcastically. "How in the world are we going to get wolfsbane in a city?"

"Sir, I was able to locate a few herbal stores in downtown China that have wolfsbane." JARVIS offered helpfully. "Shall I contact them and have them deliver a batch?"

"Yes, that would be helpful. Thank you, JARVIS." Bruce said.

"That's too cool." Katherine said. "Why can't I have one?"

"Because I said so." the billionaire replied childishly.

Katherine and Bruce stared at him in disbelief; amazed by his ridiculous reply and even more so when he struck out his tongue at her.

~.~

"You know, you're eventually going have to talk to her, Nat." Clint said, ducking in between the rapid punches of his sparring partner. He dropped down into a low couch to dodge a kick and felt rather than saw her pivoted onto her other feet, allowing to her to drop another kick on him. "Whoa, hey. I am just saying."

"I don't like her." Natasha said, bouncing back on her heels, her fists prepared for swift punches.

"You don't like her because she kicked your butt that one time –," he ducked under her punch, capturing the wrist and twisting the arm behind her back. "Or because of what she is. Because, you know if it's the latter, well, in this group…"

"She." a punch. "Is." a kick at his shin. "Dangerous!" Natasha snapped as she pinned him down.

"She's an asset to us." Clint argued before he twisted himself free from her limbs and fell back into a stance. "Knowing what we're dealing with helps us. And if she's as dangerous as you say she is, then maybe it's a good thing she is on our side."

"Stark may have her under controlled now but it is not in her nature to help others. Trust me. I know. Fury has no idea what he's doing making her a part of this team."

"Nat…" Clint started to protest before a voice cut in and it was one he was hoping not to hear.

"I am hurt." an angelic smile on her face, Katherine stepped up to the sparring mats. "But nevertheless, she's right you know, Agent Barton. It isn't in my nature to help others."

"But you're helping Steve and us to hunt down your kind and the Chitauris." Clint said, unnerved that she has approached them without them even realising her presence. "That has to count for something."

"Because we're providing her protection from Klaus, that's why she is helping us." Natasha said, her body tensing as she faced the other female. "What are you doing here?"

"I got bored." the vampire said nonchalantly. "Stark and Brucy boy are upstairs going on and on about vervain bomb this and wolfsbane shots that. They lost me in the mechanics."

"Sounds about right." Clint muttered, well aware of how the two mad scientists could get.

"That doesn't answer my question." Natasha said impatiently, placing her hands on her hips. "Why are you here?"

"To talk, to spar. Whichever helps you feel better about yourself." Katherine said airily. She glanced at the archer. "Did she tell you what happened in Bora Bora?"

Natasha answered before he could. "I have no secrets with him." she said calmly.

Katherine scoffed. "And that alone is a lie in itself. But answer me this, Natasha. Haven't you wondered why I didn't kill you that day? I could have so easily."

"Nat…" Clint warned under his breath as he noticed his partner's clenched fists, aching to draw her non-present guns.

The Russian closed her eyes, seemingly trying to rein in her emotions and exhaling slowly, she stared back at the other female. "I have actually wondered. Even more so now that I know what you truly are. So why didn't you kill me when you had the chance?"

"Because," Katherine said carefully. "You reminded me of myself. Ruthless, Cold-blooded. Feared by many."

"I am nothing like you." Natasha said tersely.

"Really?" Katherine raised an eyebrow. "You were afraid to die, Romanoff. I saw it in your eyes that night as I pinned you down. You still are human after all."

"I don't see how that makes me like you. Isn't being dead your specialty? You're after all immortal." Natasha said snidely.

"Isn't someone ballsy?" Katherine smirked before continuing calmly. "You fear death…just as I do. That's why I ran."

Clint and Natasha blinked in surprise to hear her admit that.

"Klaus and his brethren are not to be underestimated." Katherine warned. "You may be the Avengers but there's a reason why no one has managed to kill Klaus after all this time."

"How would you know? I doubt you tried." Natasha said.

"That's true." the vampire said nodding. "But only because I am quite keen on a little thing call staying alive. And if you knew Klaus, you would be too. Now… did that make you feel better about yourself?"

"No but beating you might." Natasha retorted, hating that this woman had the nerve to feel sorry for her when she was the cause of her distress.

An amused grin broke across Katherine's face. "Do you really think you can beat me? I am after all much older than you and that being said, much more experienced."

"Ladies…" Clint said, stepping forward to hold them off. He knew Natasha could take care of herself but as Katherine had pointed out, she was still very much human while the other woman was…a hundred year old vampire with a knack for human blood. He suddenly missed the old times when the Avengers' only concerns were the Chitauris and Bruce losing his temper at Tony's shenanigans.

The situation came at a halt when three phones went off simultaneously. Clint and Natasha retrieved their phones from their bags as Katherine read the message she had just received. Judging by the dark looks on the two agents' faces, she guessed it was the same message.

"Chitauri attack in Central Park." Natasha said, grabbing her jacket and tugging it on. "Innocents involved. Fury wants us on it. He's sending a jet to get the team in less than a minute."

Tony's voice came over the speakers in the room. "A minute is too long. I am going ahead to assess the situation. Meet me there."

Katherine on her part was still processing the message. "Huh. I guess that means it's a rain check on the ass-kicking."

* * *

A/n: I swear on my Iron Man 3 movie tickets, I'll update again by next week! **R&R!**


	8. Chapter 7

A/N: Have guys seen Iron Man 3 and the finale of the Vampire Diaries season 4? They are both bloody awesome! I am so happy, I am updating! So here you go, the Avengers spring into action and Katherine tags along.

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 7**

Steve was not happy. He had voiced his reservations against his tutor boarding the jet plane with the team until she had reminded him that it was also her job as their supernatural consultant. Fury had approved her presence on board much to his annoyance.

"Ease up, Cap." Katherine said with a wink. "I am not going to set foot outside this plane if that makes you feel better."

His jaws clenched as he muttered. "I'd feel even better if you were safe back at Stark's tower, Katherine. This is no place for someone like you. It's not safe."

Despite herself, her gaze softened. "I'll be fine, Steve."

"Hate to break up the moment, you two." Clint called from the pilot's seat upfront. "But we're approaching Central Park. So far Tony has spotted a pack of twenty Chitauris cornering civilians in the Pulitzer Fountain area. He's taking out as many as he can but they are overwhelming him."

"Where are they coming from?" Natasha wondered.

The trees of the park were making it difficult for them to track the aliens' movements but they could make out their sleek forms racing through the woods towards the fountain. A red and gold figure leapt into the air, firing rapid shots before landing amidst the aliens' lifeless bodies. People were running and screaming as the aliens moved in on them.

"Help would be great right about now, guys!" Tony yelled over the intercom.

"Shit…" Clint muttered as an alien viciously landed atop a man, killing him with a quick stab and jab motion of their weapon. "Your orders, Cap?"

Having witnessed the same scene, Steve's resolve strengthened. "Natasha, you'll provide air support. Create a perimeter and keep any more Chitauris from getting in. Banner, you're with me. Take out the groups, scatter them. I'll take out the stray ones. Clint, guide the civilians to the nearest exit." he ordered, his role as natural leader taking over. "Katherine, stay here with Natasha. Let us know if you pick up anything supernatural."

Katherine was impressed as everyone quickly fell into their respective roles, following Steve's lead as the plane deposited them in the middle of the battlefield. Bruce with an impressive roar, turned into the raging green beast that proceeded to effortlessly pulverise the close-quarter attackers. There was no resemblance of the group of misfits she had come to know over the past two days but rather a well-oiled fighting team.

"Best you take a seat." Natasha said suddenly while manning the guns that turned away approaching Chitauris. "Wouldn't want you to get hurt now or the Cap will have my head."

If it wasn't for her super sense of balance, Katherine would be rolling around the plane by now but as it were, she dropped down into the seat Clint had just vacated.

"Is it normal for the Chitauris to attack humans?" she asked as another human was killed.

"Yes but not in this manner. The Chitauris have a soldier-like mentality in battle but this is…savagery." Natasha said.

_Almost predatorily_, Katherine thought. _It's like they were hunting humans for…some reason..._

Providing cover wherever he could, Tony shot through the air like a missile, swiftly removing their opponents from swarming Steve who fought those foolish to take on him.

"They just keep coming!" he complained.

"Sir, there is a bank robbery taking place on 86th Street, Upper East Side." JARVIS said.

"A little busy here, JARVIS." Tony retorted. "Call the local cops. They should be free."

"Sir, video feed from the bank indicates the robbers aren't human. Furthermore, I've identified one of the robbers as Amanda Johannes. She dates back to the 1940s, Berlin."

"Huh." Tony blinked. "Katherine will be thrilled. Give me a count of their numbers and patch me to the rest of the team."

"Yes, sir." a static buzz indicated his line was opened to five others.

"Bad news, ladies and gentlemen." Tony announced as he zipped past the battlefield, his repulsors firing. "JARVIS just called in a bank robbery happening now. Vampires and possibly werewolves. I am going to check it out. Think you can handle it here?"

There was a thunder and a crackle in the air as a storm cloud gathered over the park indicating the arrival of someone before Steve answered distractedly. "Yeah. We'll manage. Backup is on the way."

Tony hesitated. "And I'll need Katherine with me on this."

Steve didn't like it but as Katherine had reminded him earlier, it was still her job. "Alright. Natasha, go with them and Katherine, don't –,"

"I got it! Don't leave the plane." the other female said in exasperation.

"Let's go, ladies." Tony said, zipping off quickly, trusting Natasha to keep up with him.

The plane took off just as a shot of lightning created a crate in the ground, killing a number of the aliens that tried to climb on board. A red-caped figure landed right smack in the center, forming a barrier between the aliens and Clint who was ushering people towards the exits. The arrival of a god was enough to make the Chitauri forget the plane and go after him instead.

Steve managed to get in one more line before his attention turned back to the fight. "Tony, take care of her."

That was an order and one that wasn't to be disobeyed. Then there was only silence on the other end. Tony sighed. Life would be so much easier if Steve just knew that one tiny detail about Katherine being, well …not human.

"Alright, JARVIS. Give me the video feeds."

"There appears to be six robbers, sir although I can't get a heat reading from three of them."

Several video displays appeared in his view, one focusing on a blonde woman holding a briefcase. A security guard rushed her only to be sent flying into a wall a second later. She barked orders to three men and two women that began hustling hostages towards the main entrance. A fleet of police cars had surrounded the building but Tony sensed things were about to go down badly soon.

"Agent Romanoff, you seeing this?" he asked.

They were rapidly approaching the location and needed a plan to diffuse the situation soon.

"Yeah." Natasha replied. "I am. Looks bad."

"Understatement of the year." Katherine joined in, staring at the blond. "Stark, that's her."

"Got it." Tony muttered. "Any idea why she would be robbing a bank?"

"Nope. But I am thinking the attack on the park was a distraction. This must be important." Katherine said.

"Well, then. Let's crash the party then."

They arrived in time to witness things turn for the worst literally. As soon as the hostages were through the door, three of the robbers transformed right in front of them and the police, taking on a form that was faster and deadlier. Their howls penetrated the night before disappearing into snarls as they leapt at the police men. Guns were fired but the werewolves were faster and stronger, taking and shaking off hits as though they were nothing. One of them flipped a police car aside forcing everyone to take cover as it descended on them.

A repulsor shot from Tony blew the vehicle to bits and a second shot struck the beast in the chest, taking it off balance. Iron Man landed hard on it and socked a punch to its face, dislocating the lower jaw. A beep from JARVIS warned him of two more approaching before one tackled him off its unconscious partner. The werewolf flung him through the air, sending him crashing through the wall of the bank.

"Ugh. Son of a –,"

"Stark!" Natasha barked in warning as the plane let out a string of bullets to keep the werewolves from going after the downed billionaire.

From the corner of his eye, Tony noticed one of the vampires lifting something huge to their shoulders. Shaking stars from his head, he realised it was a –

"Agent Romanoff!" he sprang to his feet as the bazooka fired a missile at the jet. "Heads up!"

She was already manipulating the plane to evade but the missile struck the left wing, sending it careening off balance. The vampire reloaded the bazooka again, preparing for fire but Tony fired a shot at the vampire, knocking him aside.

Natasha managed to emergency-land the plane in the middle of the street without running over any cops or civilians, a testament to her piloting skills. A quick glance told her that the situation has yet to improve for the remaining two werewolves had turned on the hostages and were sinking their fangs into them. Opening the hatch, she prepared to join the fray before she remembered her passenger.

"Stay here." she snapped at Katherine. "Don't you dare set foot outside this plane."

Before Katherine could retort, Natasha was on ground, her guns in hand. She fired at the werewolves' faces, aiming for their vulnerable spots and forcing them away from the people.

"Get out of here!" she shouted, waving away the humans who scrambled and limped their way to safety.

As the remaining hostages cleared the area, she turned her attention to the blond-haired vampire standing at the entrance of the bank, the briefcase at her side. The woman made a hand gesture and another vampire in a business suit leapt at her. Instinctively, she dropped on her back, flipping the over-sized man over her before springing to her feet.

"Wood. I need wood." she muttered, remembering what Katherine had said about vampires.

"Why, Agent Romanoff, I never knew you were _that_ deprived." Tony remarked as he slammed, shoulder first, into one of the werewolf.

Rolling her eyes, the assassin kicked up a loose wooden debris from the ground, snapped it over her knee and_ voila_, instant makeshift stake. She tested its weight as her opponent rose and before it could properly recover; she pulled her arm back and sent it rocketing at him. It struck him in the chest, eliciting a scream of pain as he staggered forward. Natasha held her breath briefly as the creature collapsed, its body turning into a corpse.

"Nicely done, Agent Romanoff." Tony said in the middle of his struggle with a werewolf that was trying to rip off his helmet. "But our main mastermind is getting away."

Natasha whirled around in time to see the female bounding down the steps with swift movements, heading for the drain hole. The remaining cops opened fire on her but she merely tore open the man hole and flung it at them like a Frisbee, sending them scattering. Casting one look at the Avengers, the woman dropped straight down into the hole, briefcase and all. Then to Natasha's horror, she noticed someone else in pursuit of the blond.

"Katherine!" she shouted, drawing Tony's attention. "Get back here!"

Tony kicked away the werewolf and unleashed two shots on it, propelling it away from him and hopefully killing it in the process. A glance at the manhole told him his suit would not fit in there without city damage. What more he couldn't just leave Natasha here alone to take on a werewolf and a vampire. Torn, he opted for the most efficient method.

"JARVIS, track the homing device on Katherine's bracelet. Keep me updated on her location." he ordered as he fired a missile at the last remaining werewolf.

~.~

Amanda was pissed beyond reasoning. It was supposed to be an easy job. Breaking into the vault, steal the stones, turn a few hostages into werewolves, set them loose on the police and escape. She had anticipated the Avengers interfering but not so soon. Something must have gone wrong with the distraction. Running through the sewer was not her idea of fun but it had been the best way to escape Iron Man and the assassin.

But what peeved her the most was that Katherine had been there. She had heard the assassin shouting the other woman's name as she fled and it had taken Amanda a while to lose Katherine in the sewers. She wanted to kill the other vampire but not when she had her precious cargo.

"You're late."

Her green eyes narrowed as she emerged into the warehouse and glared at the Chitauri in disguise. "Your forces didn't exactly do their job right. I had two Avengers to deal with!"

"The unexpected arrival of the Asgardian god took our forces by surprise but we were able assimilate with several humans and the Avengers are none the wiser." Zarkis said, his face displaying his annoyance. "And were you not able to obtain the stones?"

"At the cost of several of my men." she said sorely, hurling the briefcase over to them. "The only known heirloom of the Bloody Nicholas, the last Emperor of Russia. This better be worth it."

"It will be." her accomplice said, catching the bag with ease. "They will. Rest assured Amanda, the sacrifice of your men will not be in vain."

"Need I remind you again that your forces failed to distract the Avengers? I lost five of my men, three of which are werewolves!" she said, scowling. "Obedient werewolves aren't easy to come by for your information."

"Amanda, my Lord Thanos will reward you handsomely for your aid." he said. "Now, it's time to move on to the next part of the plan."

"Do what you must. I have a vampire to hunt." Amanda said darkly before retreating back into the sewers.

The Chitauri-disguised-as-a-human started to open the briefcase when the sound of heels clicking against the floor drew their attention. He drew a spear, the blue hue lilting up the darkened warehouse as a dark-haired woman stepped into their view.

Unaffected by the glowing weapon charging up to fire, Katherine smirked. "You know she's just going to betray you once you have given her everything she wants."

"Katerina Petrova. We have heard of you." the spear-wielder said. "Amanda is most adamant of your demise. Perhaps I shall fulfill her wish right now."

"And risk incurring the wrath of the same team of superheroes that beat your army before? Please. Go right ahead." she sneered. "You kill me and it's not going to be pretty for you. Alternatively, we can do this the less violent manner. You can listen to my proposition."

That caught his attention and he lowered the staff. "Interesting. You would deal with the enemy for the lives of your team?"

"They are not my team." she corrected him. "My proposition is simple. You want the Avengers out of your way so that your master can take over the world. I want Amanda and Klaus off my back permanently. Do you see where I am going with this?"

"I am intrigued. Continue."

"I have no interest in what you're up to nor do I care that this city is going to be turned into a warzone once more. Once it starts, I am out of here. I just need to know when." Katherine said calmly as she began walking towards him.

"And how will I know you won't betray us?"

"You don't. But at the moment, I am the only one that team of misfits will listen to." she said, reaching out and touching the tip of his weapon, unafraid. "Because they don't have a choice. You get Amanda and Klaus off my trail and in exchange, I'll give you the Avengers, starting with Captain America."

* * *

A/N: Have I mentioned how much I love Katherine? Please read and review!


	9. Chapter 8

A/n: Hey, guys. Terribly sorry for the delay but here's the next chapter. I must admit that getting Thor's manner of speaking is really challenging but fun nevertheless. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

Thank you to my reviewers and those who have favourited this story: TheElegantFaerie, VampireHuntress72095, Eliza and RealHuntress18.

* * *

**Chapter 8**

When Iron Man finally caught up with the signal of the bracelet, he found Katherine just leaving an old rundown warehouse. To his relief (which he'll never admit), she seemed unharmed.

"Which part of stay in the plane did you not understand?" he scolded in exasperation.

"I think it was the staying part." she commented. "I lost the trail. It ran cold at this warehouse."

Tony did a thermal scan of the warehouse and found it empty. A scan of their surroundings told him they were alone. "Well, consider yourself lucky. Steve will have my head and Natasha's if anything happened to you."

"What happened with the park?" she asked.

"Those bastards got a few civilians but we got most of them before they escaped through the sewers and drainage system. Five people were injured from the bank attack. SHIELD is going to have a field day cleaning this mess."

"You should have them monitor their immune systems especially those that were bitten by the werewolves." Katherine suggested distractedly.

"Right. Because of that old legend about a bite from a werewolf can turn you into one." he said sarcastically. She gave him a look and he took it back immediately. "So not much of a legend then. Okay, JARVIS, tell Fury he needs to run blood works on the victims. Banner should be able to help once he, um, calms down."

"Were you able to find out what Amanda stole?" she asked.

"Got JARVIS pulling up records even as we speak." Tony said proudly. "And don't you try to change the subject, missy!"

She cocked an eyebrow at him. "Missy?"

Their argument would have been full-blown had Steve beeped in, ordering them back to the tower immediately to debrief. And by the tone of his voice he did not sound pleased. For the first time since meeting him, Katherine did not look forward to being in the same room as Steve.

He was the first person to greet them at the docking bay atop the tower and Tony and Katherine was tempted to run. He did not look happy and as he was still in his uniform minus the mask, he looked even more intimidating even to a hundred over year old vampire.

"Which part of stay on the plane did you not understand, Katherine?" he said, his blue eyes hard with quiet anger and concern.

"Funny. I said the exact same thing to her." Tony remarked earning twin glares from the both of them that made his jaw click shut in a hurry. He instead settled for letting them dish it out while JARVIS removed his suit.

"And to go after a potentially dangerous suspect? What were you thinking?" Steve continued, concern breaking through this time. "You could have been hurt."

Katherine looked at a loss as how to respond. "But I wasn't, Steve. And when I did what I did, I wasn't obviously thinking." to that Tony scoffed, "All I know was that she was getting away with something important and someone had to stop her. Natasha was fairly occupied and so was Stark. Steve, it was my choice."

Something in her words echoed in his mind and his eyes pained as the memory of his final conversation with Peggy rose from the depths of his mind. He of all people should know and respect the choices others made. "You could have waited. It isn't your place to fight our battles." he said quietly.

Katherine was sorely tempted at this point to just blurt out her true nature. Playing the side-lined damsel was getting boring and tiresome and with Amanda still on the loose, it was only a matter of time before she will be forced to take drastic measures.

Fury be damned, she was just going to tell him. "Steve, I –,"

"Captain!" a loud voice boomed as a tall man in a red cap appeared at the doorway. "Everyone is waiting. Hello, Man of Iron!"

Katherine stiffened visibly as she stared at the god who had finally noticed her after greeting Tony. She noticed the way his eyes narrowed on her, probably first detecting her….supernatural condition. Gods were sensitive that way.

"You…" he began slowly, uncertainly.

"Thor, a word please!" Tony cut in, immediately grabbing the god by his muscular bicep and dragged him into the penthouse. "Let me catch you up to speed."

She could hear Thor protesting in confusion and she was sure if she could hear it, so could Steve. "Speed? I do not understand what does speed have to do with that….!"

Whatever foul word he would have utter was swallowed up Tony's raising voice. Steve was confused.

"What was that about? Do you know Thor because he seems to know you." he asked.

"Um, let's just say our families go way back." Katherine muttered, feeling a headache drilling its way into her brain. When was the last time she had blood? "Like ancient waaaay back. It's a long story, Cap and maybe someday, I'll tell you but right now, I believe we have more pressing matters to attend to."

Steve nodded and led her back into the living room where the rest of the team were. Natasha and Clint were attending to one another and while they looked pretty banged up, nothing indicated they were slashed or bitten. Tony and Thor were still in the midst of talking and Pepper had joined in, her tone calm as she helped Tony explain the situation to the god. Katherine could see the god eyeing her suspiciously as she entered.

"I do not like this… arrangement but I suppose I have little say since Nick Fury commanded it." Thor said gruffly to Tony.

The millionaire nodded quickly. "Very little say."

"Fury is expected a report in the morning." Natasha said. "What do we have to go on?"

"Obviously the attack in the Central Park was a diversion to draw our attention from the bank robbery but why?" Steve offered.

"One of them took a briefcase and according to bank records, it held the last known jewel stones of the last imperial family of Russia." Tony explained, using his hologram device to bring up a visual of the stolen items. "They belonged to a wealthy collector, Hugo…something who just brought them from a black market auction. And lookie here, Hugo was just killed two nights ago."

"How convenient." Clint muttered.

Tony pulled up a still shot of the blond haired vampire. "And Bachelorette Number One of the bank heist is Amanda Johannes. JARVIS was able to trace her origins back to the 1940s in Berlin. Katherine believes she is working with Chitauris and is also currently posing as a double agent for Klaus. For whatever reason has yet to be determined."

"So why would vampires be interested in old jewelleries and to go through this much trouble to get them…?" Steve asked.

Katherine stared at the hologram of the red and blue stones, an old memory sparking in her mind. She has heard rumours of the violent end of the jewel's true owners and that plus what she knew already of the supernatural… "From what I hear, items with a history of violence and bloodshed have a tendency to gain magical properties." she offered, reaching and tapping the holographic visual as she had seen Tony do. Images of old photographs of men and women appeared and she enlarged them with a flick of her hand.

"After the Russian revolution, the royal family of Nicholas Tsar was found in hiding and was sentenced to death by firing squad." she spoke as she further enlarged the picture to display the jewels on the ladies. "However after they were shot, the guards realised the princesses were still alive. It turned out that the jewelleries were stored in their bodices, acting like a Kevlar shield. The guards proceeded to stab the girls to death before stealing the stones to be sold. With that much bloodshed, the stones must contain a very powerful amount of magic."

"Yes, I've heard similar stories of their deaths. But is that even possible?" Natasha asked, her distrust for the other woman forgotten.

"That is possible." Thor said. "In Asgard, crystals with charms are given to relatives and friends for luck."

"I hate magic." Tony groaned.

"We still don't know what they need it for." Pepper said.

"Well." Clint began slowly. The team wasn't going to like this idea. "There is one person who is well-verse with magic and knows how the Chitauri works."

There was brief silence as everybody turned their eyes to Thor who looked pensive before realising the attention on him. It slowly dawned upon him. "Surely you do not mean my brother?" he asked in disbelief.

"Do you know any other power-crazy, alien-allying god?" Tony retorted.

"Loki is paying his dues for the crimes he has committed against Midgard in Asgard's most impenetrable prison as ordered by our father." Thor revealed. "My father will not permit just about anyone to see him."

"We're not just about anyone. We're ones who had to discipline his rebellious son." Tony reminded him bluntly. "I think that earns us some visiting rights."

"My father is undoubtedly grateful for your assistance but a part of Loki's punishment is complete isolation." Thor said. "Even I am not allowed to visit my brother. Furthermore, the prison is which he resides in, no humans has ever set foot there."

"Until now." Tony said stubbornly and his statement was backed by nods from Clint and Natasha.

"Because no ordinary human can survive in the prison environment let alone set foot in it. Even a god loses all sense of sanity and power with time." Thor explained grumpily. "It's our father's way of dissuading me and others from visiting Loki."

"How do we know that even if we get into Asgard somehow, that Loki will be lucid enough to talk to us and willingly?" Steve asked.

"If I remember correctly, Reindeer Games isn't exactly on good terms with our alien friends seeing as he got half their army destroyed thanks to us." the owner of the tower said. "It would suck if the Chitauri knew where he was."

"You dare threaten my brother and Asgard!?" Thor bellowed.

"Of course not." Tony said offhandedly. "I am merely making a suggestion. Loki doesn't have to know the difference. But we need you to get us in first, Thor. Can you do that?"

"My father will not be pleased." Thor said but the look on his face was resigned.

"Then that settles it. I'll go." Steve said at once.

"Wait a minute! Who died and made you Reindeer interrogator?" Tony said, glaring at the other man. "No, I am going."

"Were you not listening? You will die in there."

"Gee, didn't know you cared, Cap. And in case you forgot, I am the one in the armoured suit."

"Guys." Pepper snapped as she stepped into the centre of the room. "I know this is going to sound unfair and bias but Steve's right. Tony, your suit is not ready to go into untested realms. You remember what happened the last time you went through a portal?"

Tony sulked. "Um…no."

"As I recall, we lost complete connections with you, sir for a total of 60 seconds." JARVIS offered helpfully.

"Thank you, JARVIS. And if the Hulk hasn't caught you, you would be a permanent landmark of New York by now." the strawberry blond continued. "I am sorry, Tony but I insist you let Steve take this mission."

"But…but…" Tony gapped. "But he's human too!"

"Superhuman." Steve corrected with a small grin. "Right out of a test tube, remember?"

"Don't you start throwing my words back at me."

"That settles it." Natasha said, standing up carefully. "Steve and Thor will head to Asgard to talk to Loki. The rest of us will be on standby in case Amanda and the Chitauri try something."

"I am going with Steve and Shakespeare." Katherine spoke up, now that the bickering amongst world's greatest superheroes has quietened.

"What?" came from just about everyone in the room who stared at her in shock.

"Steve needs to know specifically what to ask Loki. I can help. The faster we get the answers, the faster Cap can get out of there, right?" she said calmly. "Besides, Thor said only the prison wasn't human friendly so if I stay outside its boundaries, I will be fine."

"I do not like this." Thor grumbled. "But her words, as absurd as they are, make sense."

Tony turned to Pepper. "How come I didn't think of that?"

"How soon can we leave?" Katherine asked the God of lightning, noting that he seemed more at ease with her now as compared to his earlier reaction.

"At dawn." he said. "Even with the Tessarect powering it, the Bifrost requires some time to recharge."

"Katherine, are you sure?" Steve asked, turning to her. "This is a different realm we're talking about here and it involves talking to a god whose mind is pretty much loopy."

She grinned. "Loopy? That's very un-1940s of you."

He remained serious. "Katherine."

"It's my choice, Cap." she reminded him. "At least this time, I thought it through."

Steve stared at her and finally sighed. Damned, she was the most stubborn woman he had ever come across and that included Peggy.

"Father and Heimdall are certainly not going to be pleased." Thor muttered, thinking of how if Odin found out, he was surely to be expelled to Midgard once more.

~.~

After that debacle about Steve and Katherine going to Asgard with Thor ended, Pepper immediately ushered everyone to their respective floors and rooms. The assassin duo retreated to their rooms while Thor lumbered down into the storage pantry, muttering something about pop tarts. Tony as expected vanished into his lab, talking to JARVIS about the vervain and wolfsbane bombs. Bruce returned just as everyone was departing and he looked exhausted given that he had spent the entire night attending to victims of the attacks at Fury's request. Sensing that a tired Bruce was a grouchy Hulk, everyone wisely allowed him to disappear into his room with Natasha promising to bring him up to speed in the morning. Steve headed to his allocated room for a shower, leaving Katherine alone for the first time the entire day to her own thoughts.

Pouring a bag of fresh blood into a glass, she sipped at it thoughtfully as she stared out at the city. The heavy footsteps and scent of dew alerted her of the presence that joined her on the balcony.

"You must forgive my initial reaction to your presence. I have not come across your kind in thousands of years." Thor said. "The last of the vampyrs were driven out of Asgard by my father and I find out now that you are residing amongst Midgardians."

"If it helps, I wasn't one of those vampires." Katherine said, remembering stories of a clan of vampires disappearing into another world only to be tossed out due to their bloodlust. Klaus had not been pleased and ordered their deaths.

"I must confess I am not pleased to find your kind in the world I swore to protect." Thor continued. "But you…are different. You and Captain Rogers have a strange arrangement."

"One that works." she pointed out.

"Why is it that you must keep your true nature a secret from him? Do you harbour feelings of fear that he would reject you?" he asked. "I've always assumed vampyrs have no souls or emotions to guide them. And yet you have allied yourself with us to save Midgard. Why is that?"

She sipped at her drink, mauling over her answer. There were so many reasons, some lies and some the truth. Because she didn't have a choice. Because she was bored. Because the Avengers were useful to her. So many reasons and yet she found herself answering, "Because this world is still my home. I quite like it here and I intend to make sure it doesn't go up in smokes while I am here. After all, no world means no humans. No humans means no blood."

And she did love her blood. She preferred it hot and warm through, straight from a dying human's veins.

To her surprise, the god chuckled, his amusement coming out a low deep rumble. "You have the gift of the silver tongue. My brother would have appreciated your company. It is a pity you will be meeting him under such unfortunate circumstances."

Katherine disagreed quietly as she continued to savour the metallic flavour of her drink. She had no interest in conversing with a demented god who tried to destroy the city. Unfortunately, aforementioned demented god had information she needed as to why Amanda and the Chitauris needed the Russian stones.

"You still have yet to answer my earlier questions though." Thor said, staring at her intently. "Why have you not told Captain Rogers of your true nature? Everyone else here knows."

"Except Banner." Katherine muttered. But that was her own protection as well as everyone else. They had no idea how the Hulk would react to a vampire living in their premises even if Bruce did like her. Best safe than sorry.

"Tony told me that Fury gave you orders to keep it a secret but you do not strike me as the type to follow orders so readily." he said, recalling both Tony and Steve berating her earlier. "I see no loss in telling Captain Rogers of you. If anything, perhaps he would have more respect for your decisions and actions if he knew you were more than just a damsel in distress."

"Perhaps that's just it. Steve respects me now even though he thinks I am just a damsel in distress." she said thoughtfully. "I don't have to prove myself to him. That's why's he's letting me accompany you two to Asgard. It isn't often a girl comes across a guy like that."

Her eyes were wistfully with nostalgia as she remembered her many suitors, so many so old-fashioned and polite but none had treated her like anything other than an arm piece.

"Do you harbour feelings for him, Lady Katherine?"

She glanced at him and chuckled, amused by how he had addressed her. "Feelings. Emotions. They are a vampire's greatest weakness. No matter how easy it is to turn it off, it keeps trying to get back in and sometimes…I let it."

The god was silent as she drank the blood, her glass empty at last.

"Steve…reminded me of someone from my past. Someone important to me. Someone who saw me for who I was, not what I was." Katherine said softly, her eyes glazed over in memories. "If you have lived as I have, having that someone in your life is all that matters and you want to hold on to it for as long as it can last." _Because you know it will end. It always does. _

Thor thought of Jane and how despite their initial differences and his naïve arrogance, she grew to accept and love him for him. Thinking back, he knew if given the choice, he would choose her over his powers.

"For what it's worth, I am sorry for your loss." he said.

A sad smile touched her lips. "Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

_"Life is too cruel. If we cease to believe in love, why would you want to live?"_

Fresh from his shower, Steve wandered back into the living room, wondering where had Katherine vanished to and paused at the sight of two people standing at the balcony. Katherine and…_Thor? _

Katherine had said their families knew each other but based on Thor's reaction to her earlier, he assumed it hadn't ended pleasantly between them. Yet there they were now, talking intimately with one another. Katherine seemed awfully at ease despite being in the presence of a god.

_Have you not seen the company she's keeping nowadays?_, a tiny voice in the back of his head said. _And considering the company she's keeping, she seems to be taking everything in stride unusually well…._

The look on her lovely face was melancholic and her eyes…. once again, Steve was struck by the age-old weariness in her deep brown hues. Eyes that have seen too much. He has only seen that look in war veterans and sometimes, himself in the mirror. But never in someone as young as Katherine…

Not for the first time, he wondered about her past. He respected her enough to not pry unless she was willing but it seemed that she knew more about him than he did of her.

And he knew nothing about her.

_If all goes well with the mission tomorrow, I'll ask her out after… get to know her better. _

He shook his head in disbelief when he caught his trail of thoughts. "Dammit. Get it together, Rogers." he muttered to himself, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

~.~

The following morning in the midst of a ruined Central Park was a reminiscent of the day when Thor returned to Asgard with the Tessarect and Loki, gagged and cuffed. Only then it had marked the end of a battle. This moment could mean the beginning of another.

SHEILD agents circled the premises of the park, keeping civilians from venturing inside. Natasha and Clint were running update reports with their fellow SHIELD members while helicopters hovered overhead.

Steve wondered which part of keeping it low and inconspicuous Fury did not understand. Thor was standing in the middle of the bridge, the same position he last stood before returning to Asgard.

Tony and Pepper stood closely, his Iron Man suit at the ready in the form of a suitcase at his feet.

Bruce was also present although he was constantly on the phone with SHIELD's treatment centre, checking up on his patients.

Meanwhile Katherine stood a short distance from the team, her hand toying with the cameo necklace around her throat. She looked remarkable relaxed considering she was about to travel to another world.

"Last chance to back out, Katherine." he said, walking up to her. "Are you sure about this?"

"As sure as I am going to strangle you if you ask me that question one more time." she retorted seriously.

He never doubted her threat for a moment. "Alright. But once we're in Asgard, stay close to me and do as I say. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." she replied, her eyes straying briefly as Clint joined them.

"We're ready." he said, looking at them with haunted eyes. "Becareful, you two. Loki is…cunning. Just don't let him get inside your head."

Steve nodded, placing an assuring hand on his friend's shoulder before rejoining Thor on the bridge. Katherine followed closely, aware by how she was dwarfed by both men as they faced each other.

"Heimdall is ready to receive us." Thor said, raising Mjolnir to the sky. Dark clouds started to gather overhead and lightning flashed within them.

"We'll keep the park clear until you get back." Natasha called from the side. "Becareful."

"Got it." Steve gave the signal to Thor. "Fire it up, Thor."

Lightning sizzled from above, drawn by Mjolnir and in a sudden flash of white light, enveloped three of them. Just like that they were gone, the ground smoking slightly from the lightning. Natasha stared at the spot where they once stood, her lips moving in a soft prayer for their safety. Clint drew abreast to her, entwining his fingers through her gloved ones in support.

* * *

A/n: Read and Review!


	10. Chapter 9

**A/n: **Hey, readers. After a whole month, here's the next chapter! What happens when two conniving minds meet each other? Read on!

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Katherine would have hit the ground face-first had Steve not wrapped an arm around her waist to steady her as soon as the gateway spitted them out. Her tummy was still doing somersaults from the bumpy and rapid travel and glancing at Steve, she could tell he felt the same although he seemed to be holding up better than she was.

Used to travelling by Bifrost, Thor strolled toward a tall dark-skinned man in a golden armour and a broad sword and greeted him.

"Heimdall, I thank you for accommodating my friends and I." he said.

"Your father has just left on urgent matters in the Nether Realms. Best you go now." the man said, his golden eyes unseeing as they turned to the other two. They seemed to linger briefly on Katherine before Thor ushered them from the Bifrost and along the rainbow bridge.

"Doesn't see women much, does he." Katherine said snidely as she easily matched their steps.

"Heimdall is all seeing and all hearing." Thor explained. "He knows who and what you are."

"So he knows we're the good guys here, right?" Steve asked, not realising that the statement was not for him. "Can we trust him?"

"With my life." the prince answered. "Heimdall and the Allfather have given us their permission to carry out this mission outside of their rules. We must hurry."

They arrived at the cavern in a mountain that stood on the edge of a cliff and beyond the sharp job were crashing waves of Asgard's rough seas. The cavern was pitched black but their heightened eyesight's could make out the beginnings of a flight of stairs heading downwards.

Katherine grimaced, memories of a tomb grave stirring from the depths of her mind. "Now would be a bad time to tell you I am afraid of the dark right?"

"Very." Steve said, staring into the abyss.

"Only the fallen foes and betrayers of Asgard are sentenced to the Deepest Prison." Thor said as he led the way into the cavern. "Its surroundings are created in the image of Niflhel where the living has no power over the dead. It is in this hellish prison my brother will pay for his crimes, forced to endure the torment of spirits."

As soon as they reached the bottom of the steps, the temperature dropped to freezing and the entire wall room was coated in white blue ices. For Steve, it only brought back memories of crashing into the ice and he had to suppress a shudder. Upon their entry, blue fire ignited along the walls, lighting the way of a crystal pavement that led to the other end of the room. The pavement hovered over nothing, a trench so deep the bottom was simply a looming darkness.

Katherine was sure she could hear something moving below.

And at the other end was Loki, imprisoned in a wall-less, cage-less cell that no one could see, touch or taste. The bitter taunt of freedom laid out before the prisoner had broken many before him but Loki merely sat on the floor, his legs crossed beneath him and his eyes closed.

Thor looked torn as he glanced at Steve. "Beyond this ledge, time and space holds no boundaries for its prisoners here and the whispers of the dead have been said to have driven many mad. Loki's mind might not be…present."

"I have to try." Steve replied grimly as he stared at the pathway, trying not to think about the bottomless pit beneath his feet. He tapped his earpiece. "Katherine? You copy?"

"Loud and clear, Cap." she answered on the other end, pressing another set to her ear. A Tony Stark gift. They hadn't been sure the device would work in a different dimension but now that it did, it beat shouting at each other from across the ravine.

Nodding to them, Steve started making his way across the pathway, the crystal shimmering with each step he took closer to Loki. The temperature became noticeable as his breath began to condense in front of him. The air was thinner near the center and even he was panting by the time he reached Loki. Whispers of unfelt wind drifted in his ear, telling him to turn around and leave. He ignored it. Now he could only hope Loki was lucid enough to give them the information they needed.

"Well, well. If it isn't the soldier."

So Loki does recognize him. "Hello, Loki. I see taking up meditation agrees with you."

"Being in this…prison has allowed me time to reflect on my own thoughts." the God of Mischief said pensively as he slowly rose to his feet. "A fitting punishment I supposed to have only myself as company. Tell me why has my brother sent a mere human to speak with me while he loiters behind?"

"Maybe because you are not worth his time. Not since you tried to destroy the world he favors." Steve answered as he took in the near-frail form of the god. Only months have passed since the attack but Loki looked as though he has been locked up for years.

Loki started to pace, a stir in the air around them causing a low whisper. "No, no, no. Weak. Humans, weak." he muttered, shaking his head. "Illusions you say…"

"Loki." Steve called. "Loki!"

"Stick to the script, Cap. Whatever is affecting Loki could affect you if you don't hurry." Katherine advised. She could pick up on the raspy whispers that filled the chambers and sensed they were more than just spirits tasked at tormenting their prisoner.

"Loki, I am here because some old friends of yours are attempting to take over the world again." Steve said.

"Yes, so I've heard." Loki muttered, shaking his head to erase the voices. He noted the surprised look on the captain's face. "The spirits talk."

"Then you know why I am here."

"Perhaps you could enlighten me, Captain." Loki said, dropping down once more into a sitting position. "The spirits talk but only in riddles. They like taunting me that way."

"Funny. I thought it would be the other way around." Steve commented. "The Chitauri are working with vampires and werewolves now. Do you know anything about that?"

"Interesting. Vamprys. How…resourceful of them." Loki said thoughtfully.

"The vampires stole something. Jewels said to contain magical properties. Would you know what use the Chitauri has for them?"

"I don't suppose they are looking to fashion jewelries now would they…?" the god suggested nonchalantly. "There are many uses for cursed jewels, Captain. Too many for me to begin."

"Then maybe you better start talking." Steve suggested, stepping forward.

"Talking? But that's all they do!" the god suddenly wailed. "Talking and talking in circles. It all makes no sense!"

"Loki's mind is losing its grip on reality." Thor murmured in concern.

"I don't like this." Katherine frowned, reaching up to touch her earpiece. "Cap, ask him if the jewels can be used to open portals."

"Can they be used to open portals? Is that how they are getting in, Loki? Is there another Tessarect? Where are they hiding their mothership this time?" Steve asked, feeling his heart rate rising as the seconds passed. Drawing in air to speak was becoming harder. He needed information. "Answer me, Loki! What are the Chitauri up to this time?"

"The answer is right in front of you, Captain." Loki whispered. "But you refuse to look! Don't want to see. Don't want to listen."

"I am listening but you make no sense." Steve snapped. "Tell me what I want to know right now or else I am giving up your reindeer hide to the Chitauri."

Loki laughed, shaking his head. "Do you think me a fool, Captain? You won't place another world in danger at my expanses, let alone a world that is home to one of your own teammates. No. You're gonna have to do better than that." the god gleefully chuckled before his tone turned wistfully.  
"I was there, I had it. The world in my grasp. Only to be foiled by a team of misfits!"

Steve tried to form words but found himself struggling for air. "No more games! Answer my question now!"

"Steve, listen to me." Katherine spoke, her voice cutting through the foggy haze that seemed to cloud his mind. "You're losing focus."

"I need more time." Steve groused. "Loki -!"

"Loki is stalling you!" Katherine snapped.

"You look tired, Captain America. I did not think it was possible." Loki interrupted, his tone sane once more. "But you are after all still human and the spirits tell me they have taken a liking to you. So much energy they say…"

Blinking sweat from his eyes, Steve realized that he had fallen to one knee. A pressure continued to build on him, pushing him down and the air seemed so thick and yet scarce.

"The spirits of death are draining him of his strength! I must retrieve him." Thor said, lifting his hammer.

But before he could even take a step forward, a ghostly form materialized before him, its feature a veil that revealed only glowing yellow eyes.

"No…" it hissed. "Odinson is not permitted to set foot within the prison of the betrayer."

"Step aside, spectrum!" Thor snarled. "Captain America is not the sinner here. Release him at once!"

"Loki's punishment requires him to spend eternity in isolation! This man has broken the laws anointed by your ancestors, Prince. He must pay with his life!"

"As crowned prince of Asgard, I command you to stand down!"

"I cannot. The spells that encase these walls dictate that no living being shall enter unharmed and that does not omit you, Asgardian prince." the ghost said. "Leave now."

Katherine glanced at the walls, noticing the thin wisp of white smoke that rose from the blue flames. Smoke that floated and drifted to the center of the room, gliding in between Loki and Steve like ghost hands trying to smolder them.

"Step aside now!" Thor bellowed, raising his hammer at the spirit.

"We don't have time for this." Katherine snarled. "I am going in."

"Wait, Katherine!" Steve managed to gasp out, his voice weak as he struggled to get his body moving. "Stay back. Whatever is affecting me will kill you."

"That's not going to be a problem." she muttered, briefly, just briefly considered the consequences of her next actions.

Abandoning the safety of the ledge, she sprinted onto the pathway, the colours fluctuating rapidly into a darker tone as she crossed it. Immediately the spirits began to stir violently, their cries echoing through the cavern as they swooped in on the new intruder only to sense the demon within.

_"Undead…impure…demon….!" _

_"Blood fiend!" _

Loki watched as the dark-haired woman, a new ally to the Avengers it seemed, reached the fallen captain's form just as the ghostly spectrums began to take shape around them. Like his brother, he knew instantly what she was. "Well, this is interesting." he said aloud, drawing the woman's attention briefly to him.

"Steve? Answer me, Cap." Katherine urged as she shook the captain and turned him on his back. She fought down the bile of worry when he failed to respond then –

"Katherine? You shouldn't have…" he rasped, eyes opening weakly.

"Less talking." she said, slinging his arm over her shoulders and helping him to his feet. Despite her smaller frame, she easily bore his near-dead weight. "More walking. Come on, Cap."

"Fancy that." Loki sang in amusement. "The great Captain America rescued by a heinous demon, a vampire nonetheless...what an interesting turn of events."

"Katherine…"

She masked her dread with indifference as she glanced at Steve, his blue eyes fixed on her despite the pain in them. Whether the pain was physical or emotion she could not tell.

"What…is he talking about?" Steve asked, praying that Loki's words were a lie or a result of the magic messing with his head. How was she single-handedly supporting his full weight without being affected?

"I'll explain later." she said solemnly as they steadily staggered closer to the ledge where Thor stood. The air became noticeably lighter and cleaner.

"Captain, are you alright?" Thor asked as he helped the weakened man to the ground. "Are you lucid?"

"I'll be fine." Steve answered tightly, his eyes still on Katherine. "But I couldn't get anything useful from Loki."

Katherine stared across the pathway at the god who continued to smile pleasantly at them. Smoke and vapour continued to fill the cavern, the spirits hissing and cursing their rage. "Then maybe it's time to try a more persuasive method."

"How will you accomplish such a thing?" Thor asked. "Loki has called our bluff. Lucid or not, trickery and deception are still his forte."

"Takes one to know one." she said before she started making her way back across the pathway again, her steps certain and sure.

The spirits wailed and drifted above and around her but none dare venture close to her. _"Inhuman. Demon…Evil." _they screamed._ "Vampry, you should not be here! Be gone!" _

"Why are they not attacking her?" Steve asked Thor.

"The spirits of the undead can only feed off the living." the Asgardian said quietly, knowing what this knowledge would imply.

"And the gas…that incapacitated me?"

A pause. "Vampires do not need air to live."

She ignored the screeching spirits, walking until she stood before Loki's unseen prison. Even though she could not see it, her senses could sense the magic in the space between them. It was old magic, impenetrable and unbreakable by anything.

Loki broke the silence between them, tsking as he rose and stood face to face with her. "Oh, dear me. Did the good captain not know? A slip of my tongue I am afraid." he said maliciously. "My apologies."

"So you're Loki. Stories on earth spoke of you as someone to be wary of." she said at last, cocking her head to the side. "Odd. I thought you would…be bigger. Scarier."

"You of all people should know that looks can be deceiving." he said. "Vampire."

"I do. How else could I have survived this long." she agreed. "And like me, Loki, you're a survivor. It's in your instincts to do whatever it takes to live. So why don't you just tell me what the Chitauri need the jewels for and I won't give away your location to them?"

"Are you stupid?" he sneered. "The soldier has already threatened me with that…poorly fabricated lie. What makes you think it would work again?"

"Because unlike Captain America and your brother, I have no concern for this world or you."

"You lie." he said although with less conviction.

"Am I? But are you willing to take that risk?" Katherine said, her voice dropping into a low purr. "I am sure Thanos will be quite happy to know where you've been hiding all this while. I might even watch when he gets his hands on the one who led to the downfall of his army."

The blood drained immediately from Loki's face the moment she uttered the name he dreaded the most. She had to be lying! But when he looked into her eyes, there was nothing there but dark amusement at his conflict. Vampires have been known to lack human emotions and most importantly, the conscious that allow mortals compassion and it seemed this woman was no different from her kind, despite her alliance with the Avengers.

"Her lies are convincing." Thor muttered as he and Steve watched. "If I didn't know she was our ally, I would believe she would actually bring about the end of Asgard."

Steve said nothing as he continued to stare at the back of the woman he thought he trusted. All those stories she told him of the past…were they all lies too? How could Katherine be a vampire? The very creature she was helping them fight. Who else in Avengers knew? Did Fury know when he assigned Steve to her?

"Your shrieking banshees are starting to piss me off, Loki. Five seconds and I walk and with me, the safety your isolation provides you." Katherine said, looking up dismissively at a spirit that snarled at her. When Loki did not reply, she turned with a shrug.

"Wait." Loki said, his shoulders sagged. "The nature of the stones. Tell me about them."

Pleased, Katherine turned back to face the god. "They are the Russian imperial stones of –,"

"Bloody Nicholas." Loki filled in. "Yes, I have heard of the stones. The violence surrounding their history is…well known amongst magic users even in Asgard. I might even have had a hand at that…."

She couldn't help the smirk that played across her face as she understood his implication. "You cursed them."

"I did. It's no secret that bloodshed instills magical properties of the stone. I just thought I would have a little fun creating havoc amidst the mortals." Loki seemed pleased with his mischief.

"And in doing so, created something for the Chitauri to wield." she reminded him. "So what are they are planning to use the stones for?"

Loki stared at her, his eyes glazing over. "Power, so much power. The magic…is strong now. I can sense it."

Sighing, Katherine snapped her fingers to catch his attention. "Hey, Loki. Attention over here, dumbass. What are the Chitauri going to do with the stones?"

"If the Chitauri are still on earth, that could only mean that they have mother ship somewhere. Ironman may have destroyed the fleet but what if one broke through? Have you superheroes ever considered that?" Loki said condescendingly. "But without the Tesserect, they require another source to tear open the veils between worlds."

"So they are going to use the stones to open the portal." she said. "Are the stones really that powerful?"

"Blood..." his words became slurred as his body began to quake and shake. "A lot of it. So red, so beautiful. Pretty stones thirst for more. You understand the value of blood, don't you. Blood is the key, vampire."

"Of course it is." Katherine said, her mind piecing together the jigsaw puzzle of the alien's grand plan. "Is that all, Loki? Tell me the truth or the next visitor you get will be ugly reptile aliens."

"That's all I know." Loki muttered darkly. "Now take your Captain and my brother and get out of my sight."

"With pleasure." she said before turning to leave.

The spirits stirred once more, encircling her as they whispered threats to her. _"You'll pay for your insolence, demon. You can't run forever. Your bloodline will suffer for your actions today." _

Katherine's steps faltered briefly before she brushed off the ghostly voices and rejoined Thor and a recovering Steve. "We got what we came for, boys. Let's get out of here."

As Thor helped him to his feet, Steve couldn't help but notice that the tone of her voice was detracted. And her demeanor was…cold and closed off.

"That spirit…it said something that unease you." Thor observed, having noticed the same thing as well.

"Empty threats." she said dismissively. "Spirits don't really like me."

* * *

A/N: Hm, not as long as I expected to be at time of writing but hopefully I will be able to update the next chapter soon. So how did you like Katherine and Loki's conversation? Again remember that this takes place before Season 2 of the Vampire Diaries so basically before Katherine's return to Mystic Falls.

Read and Review!


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